By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday inaugurated the Tennis Centre at Kalinga Stadium Sports Complex and also unveiled the logo and jersey of the upcoming international tennis tournament – ITF Asia U14 and Under Development Championship 2023. The Chief Minister congratulated the Odisha Tennis Association and Sports Department of the state Government for their remarkable work for development of tennis in Odisha.
Chief Secretary PK Jena, Development Commissioner Anu Garg, Secretary to CM (5T) V K Pandian, Sports and Youth Services Secretary Vineel Krishna, President of OTA Asit Tripathy, Secretary Satyajit Mohanty and other officials of OTA and Sports Department were present on the occasion.
“Kalinga Stadium Sports Complex has been admired as a hub of sports and a premier training ground that is nurturing champions of the future. The Tennis Centre strengthens our ecosystem further which will help our tennis players to compete and excel at national and international events. It will also help unearth hidden talents and nurture potential medalists,” said the Chief Minister.
The Tennis Centre is certified by International Tennis Federation and features one synthetic centre court with a gallery of 1,400 seating capacity, gymnasium, changing room, auditorium, rooms for dignitaries, media room and facilities for broadcast and administrative purposes. The Tennis Centre has been developed with an expenditure of Rs 25 crore, sources said.
The Tennis Complex at Kalinga Stadium is now capable of hosting matches under the aegis of International Tennis Federation and Asian Tennis Federation. The Chief Minister also felicitated sportspersons Archana Majhi (Kho kho), Swadhin Majhi (Athletics), Debasis Sahoo (Tennis) and Jayanti Behera (Para athletics) for their achievements at various international events. Prior to the inauguration of the Tennis Centre, Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera felicitated 45 athletes with cash awards for their achievements at various national events.
