Bhubaneswar: Sprinter Dutee Chand and young shuttler Rutuparna Panda of Odisha were given a warm send-off before their departure for the Asian Games at Indonesia, starting August 18, in a get-together organised by KIIT and KISS here at a city hotel, Sunday.
Other two athletes from state Jauna Murmu and Purnima Hembram, who are also the part of the Indian contingent, were unable to attend the programme due to personal commitments. All the four athletes will leave for the Games Monday morning.
Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and KISS, wished all the four athletes the very best at the send-off ceremony which also saw Rajya Sabha member and Odia actor Anubhav Mohanty, Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Kumar Patasani, mayor Ananta Narayan Jena, Bhubaneswar North MLA Priyadarshi Mishra and Odia actor Sabyasachi Mishra gracing the occasion.
Among the sportspersons present were former hockey India captain Dilip Tirkey, former India cricketer Debashis Mohanty, former India women’s football team skipper Sradhanjali Samantray, Olympian Anuradha Biswal. Bolivian ambassador to India, Sergio Dario Arispe Barrientos and El Salvador ambassador to India, Ariel Andrade Galindo were also present at the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Dutee expressed confidence as this will be her first Asiad outing and said that she will try her level best to win a medal for the country.
Rutuparna, who is competing in her first major event at the senior level asserted that the Games will be a learning experience for her.
“Expectations are always high considering our performances lately at the international level. I am pretty confident about myself performing at the event and most importantly I will get to learn so many things from the senior players,” Rutuparna added.