Athletics
India's first indoor athletic stadium to be ready in Bhubaneswar this year
The project will be built at a cost of Rs 120cr and will be the first indoor athletic stadium in the country and will provide residential facility for more than 100 athletes.
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik at the site of the indoor stadium this week (Odisha Sports)
Adding to the spree of sports infrastructure in the state, Odisha is soon coming up with an athletics stadium at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The stadium will be the first indoor athletic stadium in the country. Pegged at a cost of Rs120cr, the construction of the stadium is expected to be over by the end of 2022.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the project site on Monday. "This indoor athletic facility will be a major boost for the development of athletics in India and will become the hub to create champions in coming years". The facility can host national and international indoor athletic events. There will be residential facility for more than 100 athletes for full time coaching," he said.
The stadium will help the athletes practice throughout the year, without any external disturbances.
Besides the indoor athletics stadium, projects worth Rs 180 cr are underway in the Kalinga Stadium including the indoor aquatics stadium, Tennis center, Staff Accommodation and Hockey High Performance Centre building. The Tennis Centre project is being constructed with an aim to host the national and international events including the ITF tournaments and Davis Cup.
READ | Bhubaneswar's journey from Temple City to Sports City
The Chief Minister also interacted with the woman footballers participating in the ongoing Odisha Women's Football League. He met the members of the men's and women's hockey teams, who are currently in the state to play the home leg of the FiH Pro league.
In the recent years, Odisha has garnered a lot of praises for giving boost to the sports sector. Bhubaneswar, which has already hosted several high profile sporting extravaganza including the Asian Athletics Championships in 2017 and the Hockey World Cup in 2018, has been termed as the upcoming 'Sports Capital' of the country.
