Odisha got a major boost in sports on Tuesday as chief minister Naveen Patnaik formally inaugurated high-performance centres for hockey and gymnastics at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

The Odisha government has collaborated with ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India in setting up the gymnastics high-performance centre, while the hockey high-performance centre is in partnership with Tata Steel and Tata Trusts.

Inaugurating the centres on Tuesday evening, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said: “Odisha follows a partnership model for sporting excellence. With the inauguration of the hockey high-performance centre and the gymnastics high-performance centre, Odisha’s sporting ecosystem has become even more robust, enhancing athletes’ abilities to compete and shine in both national and international competitions. These new centres will play a pivotal role in discovering untapped talents and nurturing potential medal-winning athletes.”

Dedicating the gymnastics high-performance centre to the gymnasts of India, Naveen said: “I am delighted to see our state and AM/NS India come together towards the development of gymnastics. This partnership will go a long way in creating a vibrant gymnastics ecosystem in the country. It will help to identify and nurture young talents for the future.”

Speaking on the hockey high-performance centre, Naveen said: “We are extremely happy about our partnership with the Tata Group for hockey development at HPC and even grassroots centres. This will help nurture talent and contribute towards producing elite players for the national teams.”

The Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High-Performance Centre has all the advanced equipment and facilities and it will train and prepare both senior and grassroots-level athletes. “Six athletes of the gymnastics HPC, including one in reserve, have been selected to represent India in the upcoming Asian Games 2023, a testament to their talent and the quality of training provided at the centre,” said a media release issued by the chief minister’s office (CMO), adding that the MoU was signed in Kyoto with ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel to set up the gymnastics HPC during the chief minister’s visit to Japan in April 2023.

Although the formal inauguration of the gymnastics HPC took place on Tuesday, the training programme started around a month back.

The inaugurated complex of the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre is a residential facility for boy and girl cadets with a classroom, gymnasium, kitchen and dining, physiotherapy and other multipurpose room.

Naveen also announced the strengthening of the partnership with the Tata Group and starting of new HPCs in archery and sports climbing.