Odisha gears up for star-studded Senior Artistic Gymnastics National Championship

After successfully conducting the Junior Artistic Gymnastics National Championship, the Sports and Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha, is geared up to host the Senior Artistic Gymnastics National Championships for the 2023-24, at the Gymnastics Centre, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.

Under the aegis of the Odisha Gymnastics Association and the Gymnastics Federation of India, the championship will be held from 2-4 January 2024 in the state capital and will feature Olympians Pranati Nayak and Dipa Karmakar as well as other national gymnasts like Yogeshwar Singh, Rakesh Patra, Tapan Mohanty, Saif Tamboli, Gaurav Kumar and others.

Speaking ahead of the event, Ashok Mishra, Head Coach, Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre said, "The Junior Artistic Gymnastics National Championship was conducted smoothly and was a huge success. We are now excited to host the Senior National Championship. We will see a lot of national athletes like Dipa, Pranati Nayak, Yogeshwar Singh, Rakesh, Tapan, Gaurav and various others taking part. The stakes are high, and it will surely be a very interesting tournament."

Dipa's coach Bishweshwar Nandi stated, "It feels great to be here, the venue and apparatus are of Olympic standards. Dipa is taking part in the National Championship after almost eight years. There will be Pranati Das, Pranati Nayak, Aruna Reddy and various other senior athletes taking part as well, so it's a good thing. I couldn't come to the Junior Nationals, but I would like to see the junior athletes compete against these senior athletes. I liked the Gymnastics Centre here, and I really wish that it produces a strong contingent in the next two years for the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics."

Pranati, who trains at the Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre expressed her excitement on taking part at the National Championship. She said, "I will be representing Indian Railways and I am really excited about the fact that the Senior Gymnastics National Championship is going to be held at the same place where I train."

As many as 300 participants from across the country are expected to take part in what will be a grand spectacle of gymnastics.