BHUBANESWAR: A decade ago, if you talked about Odisha sport, you were probably talking about the athletes from the region. Given the grit and raw talent from the tribal belt, hockey players and track and field athletes were essentially the torchbearers of sport from the state.
While their athletes continue to shine, Odisha has turned into the sporting capital of the country with state-of-art- infrastructure, weaving together government support and a sport-loving people. There is no better than adversity to test the intent of administrators.
A case in point was cyclone Fani which left a devastating trail of destruction behind. Odisha was to host the FIH World Series Finals hockey event in less than a month and with considerable damage to the infrastructure at the sprawling Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar, there were doubts about the preparedness of the city to host the international event.
They not only hosted the event, but also delivered a success story, like every other sporting extravaganzas the state has hosted over the course of the past five years.
The growth of Odisha has a sporting powerhouse did not happen overnight, but the progress has been rapid since 2013. That year, they felt the need for a world-class hockey facility to host the Kalinga Lancers’ matches in the Hockey India League. That need saw the construction of the hockey facility which has since hosted a Champions Trophy and sponsored the 2018 FIH World Cup as well.
Odisha is in fact the most enterprising state in the country when it comes to support and even sponsors the Indian men and hockey teams, a five-year deal which was inked last year.
So, what changed within the system in a state which has a 2019-20 Sports and Youth Services department budget of Rs 266.31 crores. Vision, says Vishal Dev, the commissioner and secretary for sports and tourism, Odisha government.
“Our chief minister Naveen Patnaik is very proactive. The governments initiative to promote sports stems from his vision of ‘sport for the youth; youth for the future’. Since the youth are the future it is very important to connect with the future and what better way to connect with the youth but sports.”
Over the past two years, Odisha – and the state capital Bhubaneswar, in particular – has hosted international events in hockey, athletics, women’s football, rugby and table tennis.
Dev believes that the boost in tourism to the state has been a byproduct of hosting the big-ticket events including the FIH World Cup last year. “We are not doing conducting sporting events to promote tourism. That said, a boost in tourism is a byproduct in the process. I guess it is the same world over. Any city hosting a major event witnesses an increase in footfalls. In Odisha, we do devise itineraries to showcase our culture and heritage to people who visit the state during events,” he said.
CORPORATE SUPPORT
One of the major reasons behind the success story of Odisha is the involvement of corporates and sporting stalwarts in various high-performance projects. Athletes like Abhinav Bindra, Anil Kumble, Gagan Narang and P Gopichand are at the helm of many initiatives. They have also tapped into their local resource with former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey, who is now the head of the Odisha Hockey Promotion Council.
This apart, there are various corporates houses which have funded sporting projects. Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd are involved with badminton, Rungta Mines was roped in to power Abhinav Bindra’s Target Performance Centre while KJS Ahluwalia Group is looking after talent-spotting. Aditya Birla Group, Reliance Foundation and the Tatas are involved as well.
“Most facilities are funded by corporates but some like football, swimming and athletics are funded by us. When we approached the corporates or the renowned sports personalities, we were clear that we would only be facilitators. We did not want to get into the administration of the facilities because governments are known for messing it up in terms of flexibility to respond to needs. We provide the land and help corporates tie up with a world class athlete or an institution. This module is working fine for us,” says Dev.
Grassroot Focus
Known for their tribal sporting talent, the state hosted the first Tribal Sports Meet in 2017 at the block and district level with over 1.30 lakh participants in individual and team events.