Bhubaneswar:27/2/24:In a major boost for cricket development in Odisha, CM Naveen Patnaik announced the redevelopment of the historic Barabati Cricket Stadium and laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of VSS Cricket Stadium in Sambalpur. CM said BarabatiStadium will be redeveloped into a world-class sports complex with all modern facilities, in partnership with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Odisha Cricket Association, and corporates. Considering legacy of the stadium, the iconic clock tower will be conserved as a heritage structure.
CM also inaugurated cricket facilities at Berhampur Sports Complex, Shree Jagannath Cricket Stadium & Women’s Cricket Academy at Puri, Sports Complex at #Jajpur, Cricket Ground at Jharsuguda, and 41 cricket academies developed across state by OCA. He announced that the stadium in #Berhampur will be named Mahatma Gandhi Cricket Stadium, in memory of Gandhiji’s visit to this place during the Freedom movement. VSS stadium in #Sambalpur will be expanded and developed with best cricket facilities for cricketers in the region.
He also announced that an Integrated Sports complex will be created at Sitalapalli, Berhampur which will include facilities for athletics, football, cricket, indoor stadium, etc. to cater to needs of sportspersons in the region. The Chief Minister inaugurated Ganjam Weightlifting Academy along with 200-seated hostel making it the largest weightlifting training facility in India. He said it’s a tribute to the popularity of weightlifting in Ganjam, which has produced so many weightlifters.
Several sports infra projects in Jajpur namely Kusuma Complex Swimming Pool, Hockey Training Centre, a multipurpose indoor stadium, athletic track, football ground, etc were also inaugurated. The foundation stone was laid for Rugby ground and cricket grounds along with the hostel. On this occasion, CM also laid foundation stone for Integrated Sports Complexes at Bargarh and Dhenkanal, which include various facilities like athletic tracks, swimming pools, football grounds, cricket grounds, etc.
CM said focus on cricket by Odisha Govt and OCA will help in creating a good ecosystem for emergence of champions from the state in the coming years. He further said that sports is a priority area for the government to enable youth empowerment and Odisha is now recognised as a major destination for sports in the country. He hoped that all the sports infrastructure and training facilities being created would attract more children towards sports.