Odisha CM inaugurates Dharanidhar Sports Complex in Keonjhar

Bhubaneswar: The much awaited Dharanidhar Sports Complex was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Keonjhar district of Odisha today.

Keonjhar has produced many national and international players and this sports complex will play a key role in developing the sports ecosystem particularly for football, athletics and archery, said an official.

The new multi-sports complex features a natural turf football field, 400 metre synthetic track with LED floodlights as well as a 1,000 seating capacity gallery. Additionally, an archery arena has been developed for budding and talented archers to pursue the sport professionally.

The complex also has an indoor hall with six badminton courts and is complemented with 200-bed fully furnished residential facilities for both boys and girls athletes and staff.

The campus is spread over 9 acres and has been developed at a project cost of over Rs 35 crore. This is also well-equipped complex for day-to-day training activities. The facility has been complied to host regional level competitions, sources said.

In the recent years, Odisha’s performance has improved in sports and now more and more school children and youth are showing interest to take up sports as career.

These sports infrastructure development is aligned with the Chief Minister’s vision of ‘Sports for youth, youth for future.’

The state has been investing significantly in strengthening its sports ecosystem and empowering athletes by developing a wide range of sports infrastructure and facilities including sports complex, mini stadiums, swimming pools, indoor stadiums, hockey and football training grounds.