Bhubaneswar: A Badminton High Performance Centre was inaugurated at the iconic Kalinga Stadium here on Thursday.
The HPC, known as Dalmia Bharat Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
The HPC, a three-way collaboration among the Odisha government, Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation and Dalmia Bharat Group, has been built at Rs 75 crore. It has eight badminton courts and a spectator capacity of 400. It has residential facilities for 50 players, a gymnasium and an amphitheatre for outdoor activities. The facility, with its advanced amenities and professional coaching setup, is expected to produce world-class athletes capable of competing at the highest levels.
The state-of-the-art Badminton High Performance Centre was conceptualized during the tenure of Naveen Patnaik. He laid the foundation for this ambitious project was laid in 2019 after an agreement was signed between the State Government, Dalmia Bharat Group, and the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation (PGBF).
According to the agreement, the state government has provided 3 acre of land at the Kalinga Stadium and Dalmia Bharat committed Rs. 55 crore to fund the project, while Pullela Gopichand agreed to lead and manage the centre, ensuring the highest quality of coaching and mentoring for budding players.
The project was completed during the tenure of the previous government and has received finishing touches recently.
Pullela Gopichand met Naveen Patnaik ahead of the inauguration. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Naveen Patnaik for envisioning and establishing the project.
On his ‘X’ handle, Naveen wrote, “Glad to meet legendary badminton player Pullela Gopichand. Thank him for his appreciation for the robust sports ecosystem in #Odisha and partnership to set up Dalmia Bharat Gopichand Badminton Academy. I am sure, the Badminton HPC will help groom future champions from the soil and bring laurels for the state. #OdishaForSports.”