Odisha, ArcelorMittal Nippon ink MoU for Gymnastics High Performance Centre

Priya Ranjan Swain Published On : Apr 8, 2023 at 5:36 PM

Bhubaneswar: Odisha today entered into a partnership with ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India to set up a High Performance Centre (HPC) in Gymnastics in Bhubaneswar to promote and develop the sport of gymnastics in the state.

As part of this agreement, academies will also be set up in Puri, Jeypore and Rourkela.

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The state government will create and maintain the infrastructure for the HPC and academies while AM/NS India will operate and manage these centres and train gymnasts, particularly women gymnasts, and provide coaching development and certification and judge certification.

Sports & Youth Services Department Commissioner-cum- Secretary Vineel Krishna and Deputy Director HR & Administartion AM/NS India Keiji Kubota signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Kyoto city of Japan today.

“The state government is committed for the development of sports in Odisha. Gymnastics as an Olympic sport has its appeal among the masses. Odisha has a pool of talent, who under expert guidance and a holistic supports system, can be nurtured to become international gymnasts over the next five years. I am delighted to see our state and AM/NS India come together yet again, this time to promote gymnastics. This partnership will go a long way in creating a vibrant gymnastics ecosystem in the country and help us identify and develop young talent for the future,” said the Chief Minister.

Odisha’s earlier collaboration with AM/NS India during the Ultimate Kho Kho League proved very fruitful with team Odisha Juggernauts emerging champions. The company’s efforts in promoting hockey were also commendable. The government recognises the importance of public-private partnerships in encouraging sports development, he added.

“We value AM/NS India’s continued support in this endeavour of our state,” said the Chief Minister.

The Odisha AM/NS Gymnastics High Performance Center will be a facility housed in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar for senior athletes participating in the ‘Elite Senior Gymnastics Programme’. While the three ‘Odisha AM/NS Gymnastics Academies will be located in Puri, Jeypore, and Rourkela for grassroots level athletes.

The HPC and academies will focus on creating a robust scouting framework and nurturing talents from Odisha to compete at National and International levels with competent coaching teams, quality equipment and sports science support.

It will develop a gymnastics ecosystem with long term sustenance, with coach development and certification, judge certification and with a special focus on female gymnasts. The athletes will receive international and national exposure in addition to academic support. The programme will help develop the sport in India and build a strong foundation of skilled coaches, trainers, and support staff.

Odisha has already set up Gymnastics Centres in Puri and Bhubaneswar and an additional centre in Rourkela will be operational soon. Gymnasts who have represented Odisha at national and international level have commenced their training at these centres.

Notably, Odisha is the only state to set up a bouquet of high performance centres for different sports. HPCs in swimming, shooting, weightlifting, football, hockey, sports science and athletics have made operational in Odisha.