Odisha Chief Minister launched Olympic Values Education Programme in 90 schools of Odisha

Speaking on the occasion, CM Sri Patnaik said, this will be the beginning of a new Olympic movement in the country. He said, through this program, our children will experience and benefit from the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, and respect.CM said that Odisha is emerging as a major sports hub in India and will continue to lead in the sports sector through its partnerships. He further said that it’s a privilege to engage with the IOC to launch this program. We thank IOC for partnering with us in this endeavor to excel in sports.

Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Nita Ambani has lauded the launch of India’s first ‘Olympic Values Education Programme’ (OVEP) in Odisha on Tuesday, emphasising that the programme combines the twin powers of education and sport in instilling the core values of Olympism.

The OVEP, launched by the IOC, is a set of resources designed by the IOC to introduce young people to the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship. The programme aims to disseminate this values-based curriculum to help children become active, healthy and responsible citizens. A landmark initiative in India’s Olympic movement, the launch of OVEP comes as a build-up to the prestigious IOC 2023 Session.

The OVEP was officially launched by Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik, IOC Member Nita Ambani, IOC Education Commission Chair Mikaela Cojuangco Jaworski, Olympian and member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission Abhinav Bindra, and President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Narinder Batra.

OVEP will be integrated into the school education system of Odisha. The programme is being developed in partnership with the Department of School and Mass Education, the Government of Odisha and the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust.

Nita Ambani further thanked the Odisha Government for their continued support of India’s Olympic dream and grassroots development.

“Through increased investments and dedicated efforts, Odisha has become a hub of India’s sporting ambitions. The state is actively creating a holistic ecosystem for sport, which provides top quality training and infrastructure to our young athletes,” she was quoted as saying in a release by Reliance Foundation.

Notably, Reliance Foundation works closely with the Odisha Government for the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Center (HPC). Two Reliance Foundation athletes from the HPC — Jyothi Yarraji and Amlan Borgohain — broke national records and bagged medals at international athletic events over the past month.