ROURKELA: Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated a hockey nursery at the sports hostel, Panposh (Rourkela) on 7th June at a brief function held at the sports hostel complex here. The Chief Minister also laid a foundation stone for up gradation of hockey hostel which will turn into a sports complex soon where, besides hockey, facilities for basketball, volleyball and badminton would also be available A modern gymnasium and 100 bedded hostel will also be built up here. The whole project is expected cost Rs.1 cr.

Tribal dominated Sundargarh district, which has earned superlatives as ‘Hockey Cradle’ ‘Goldmine of Hockey’ Nursery of Indian hockey’ to recognize its abundant hockey talents has got four hockey training centers. In these centers talented hockey boys and girls of above 12 years of age are imparted training. The newly inaugurated ‘Hockey Nursery’ would concentrate on the boys and girls of tender age between 9 to 11. The selected young boys and girls would be taught the basics of the game at the nursery and become a feeding centers for the hockey hostels.

While inaugurating the hockey nursery CM said that ‘At the beginning 20 boys and 20 girls of 9 to 11 years of age would be kept in the nursery and experienced coaches would teach the basics of the game. They would be provided all the facilities.’ He said that ‘the scheme would help the hockey talent hunters to identify talents at the tender age and it would help Sundargarh district to produce more and more players of international repute.’ On this occasion Chief Minister Patnaik distributed hockey kit to all the inmates of the hockey hostel.

Sundargarh District Collector Dr. Krishna Kumar presided over the function. Sundargarh Loksabha MP Mr. Jual Oram, Rajyasabha MP Mr. Mangla Kissan, Rourkela MLA Sarada Nayak were also present

That the chief minister himself was present on the occasion highlights the fact how much importance the State Government attaches to sports, hockey in particular.

Satish Sharma regularly writes for stick2hockey.com from Rourkela