Odisha Naval Tata Hockey HPC begins boys' resident programme

The Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (HPC) in Bhubaneswar started its boys’ resident programme at the Kalinga Hockey Complex on Friday.

Published : Jan 22, 2021 21:50 IST

The Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (HPC) in Bhubaneswar started its boys’ resident programme at the Kalinga Hockey Complex on Friday.

The Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (HPC) in Bhubaneswar started its boys’ resident programme at the Kalinga Hockey Complex on Friday.

A total of 31 cadets have been selected for the programme. These players - in the age group of U-17 - have been chosen from the two-week long selection camp that was held from November 17 to December 1, 2020 in Bhubaneswar. The camp was attended by 100 cadets.

While 21 players are from Odisha, seven are from Manipur, two from Uttar Pradesh and one from Assam. The Hockey HPC has also created a standby list of eight talented players (five from Odisha).

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According to a statement, “the HPC has also recommended some players to sports hostels run by the Department of Sports & Youth Services, Govt. of Odisha, in Panposh and Sundargarh. These hostels are also Regional Development Centres and serve as a stepping stone to the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey HPC.”

On the occasion, two grassroots centres in Dhenkanal and Deogarh were also launched, thus taking the tally of grassroots centres to 12 with deployment of 25 coaches.

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Tusharkanti Behera, Minister for Sports and Youth Services, Electronics & IT, Govt of Odisha, said: “I am delighted to be here for the inauguration of the boys' resident programme at the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey HPC. I congratulate each and every cadet who has successfully cleared the selection trials and has been inducted into our Hockey High Performance Centre. This is an elite opportunity and platform for you to excel in Hockey and you should feel extremely proud. This is the first step towards achieving your sporting dreams. This HPC will play a crucial role and along with experienced and expert coaches will endeavour to groom you all into future national and international players.”