CM opens India’s first indoor athletics centre

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday inaugurated India’s first indoor athletics centre at Kalinga Stadium here, an official statement said. He also inaugurated an indoor aquatic centre, and laid the foundation of an indoor diving centre at the stadium. The indoor athletics centre, which has a 10,000 square metre track, is capable of holding continental and regional championships, it said.

The centre also has a 200-metre synthetic track, an 80-metre plus 20-metre running track, and designated areas for long jump, triple jump, pole vault and shot put, each meticulously designed to meet specific athletic requirements.

The facility features 60 twin-sharing rooms for those undergoing full-time coaching. The indoor aquatic centre features a temperature-controlled 50- metre Olympic-size swimming pool and 25-metre warm-up pool with a seating capacity for 1,000 spectators, and can host international championships, the CMO said.

Odisha Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), the State government’s joint venture with JSW Group, will be operational from this aquatic centre. Central PSU NALCO has contributed towards the construction of the indoor aquatic centre under CSR funding.

The Chief Minister also laid the foundation of an indoor diving centre at the stadium. It will have a temperature-controlled diving pool of 25 metres, with an additional 5 metres for synchronised swimming and a seating capacity for 500 spectators.

‘’The new indoor facilities will help our athletes train and compete round the year without any external weather disturbances. We are confident that both indoor athletics centre and the aquatic centre will certainly help set new standards for sporting excellence on both international and national stages,’’ Naveen said.