By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: In a significant stride towards nurturing Kho Kho talent in the state, in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Odisha has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel (AM/NS India) to establish a High-Performance Centre in Kho Kho.
Chief Minister Patnaik said, ” We want to support our indigenous sports like Kho Kho. This partnership with AMNS to establish the Kho Kho HPC will set a new bench mark for support towards Indian sports”
Chairman 5T and Nabin Odisha Sh V K Pandian was present during the MoU Ceremony. Minister for Sports and Youth Services Sh Tusharkanti Behera and Secretary Sh Vineel Krishna represented the Sports department while, AM/NS was represented by Mr Keiji Kubota and Ms Suparna Nanda.
Under the agreement, Odisha will contribute infrastructure support, while AMNS India commits to providing experienced and dedicated coaches to elevate the level of Kho Kho in the state. The MoU signing highlighted the commitment of both parties to fostering sporting excellence.
A bouquet of HPCs has been established by Odisha at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and the Kho Kho high performance centre will be a significant addition to the ecosystem.
This is a unique partnership model between a state and a corporate that has proven to produce elite athletes in Hockey, Football, Swimming, Athletics, Gymnastics, Sports Science, Shooting, Weightlifting and now indigenous sports Kho Kho will scale to glory.
Odisha’s association with AMNS India in the Ultimate Kho Kho resulted in the state owned franchise, Odisha Juggernauts emerging champions of the inaugural season. It also has a partnership with the corporate and has set up the Gymnastics High Performance Centre. Gymnasts recently bagged 8 medals (4 Gold, 4 Silver) at the 2023 National Games.
