In a bid to promote sports and sports culture in Odisha, the state government on Monday launched five high -performance centres in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and sporting professionals like Anil Kumble and Pullela Gopichand.
This includes some international level badminton, athletics, weightlifting, and football centres.
Speaking after the launch Naveen Patnaik dedicated the centres to the "sports loving people of Odisha" and termed the day as "historic" for sports.
"Today is a historic day for sports development in Odisha. As a state that's passionate about sports, we understand how beneficial the opening of these high-performance centres is going to be for sportspeople as well as the nation," Patnaik said.
"I am delighted to dedicate these centres to the sports loving people of Odisha," he added.
The chief minister also felicitated 162 outstanding state sportspersons, who bought accolades for Odisha, with cash awards. These sportspersons belong to different categories and made a mark with their remarkable performances throughout the year at different national and international events.
Some of the athletes who received cash awards include Para-Badminton player Pramoda Bhagat (Rs 70,00,000), Para Athletic Jayanti (Rs. 60,00,000), Blind Chess players Prachurya Kumar Pradhan (Rs. 20,00,000) and Soundarya Kumar Pradhan (Rs.20,00,000).
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