Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated Monday the eagerly awaited Dharanidhar Sports Complex. It will naturally be very helpful for sports enthusiasts in Keonjhar district. Keonjhar has produced many national and international players and this sports complex will play a key role in developing the sports ecosystem particularly of football, athletics and archery; the key sports played here.
The new multi-sport complex features a natural turf football field, 400m synthetic track with LED floodlights as well as a gallery that can accommodate 1,000 spectators. Additionally, an archery arena has been developed for budding and talented archers to pursue the sport professionally.
The complex also has an indoor hall with six badminton courts and is complemented with a 200-bedded fully furnished residential facilities for both boys and girls athletes and support.
The campus is spread over nine acres and has been developed at a project cost of over Rs 35 crores. The facility has been complied to host regional-level competitions.
Over the recent years, Odisha’s performance has improved in sports and now more and more school children and youth are showing interest to take up sports. This sports infrastructure is aligned with the vision of Patnaik who has always said, ‘Sports for youth, youth for future.’
Odisha in the recent past has been investing significantly in strengthening its sports ecosystem and empowering athletes by developing a wide range of sports infrastructure and facilities, starting from grassroots to state- level including sports complex, mini stadia, swimming pools, indoor stadiums, hockey and football training grounds.