Bhubaneswar/Puri: Bihar’s Minister for Sports and Industries, Shreyasi Singh, is on a four-day official exposure and study visit to Odisha from July 30 to August 2 to study the state’s internationally acclaimed sports ecosystem and draw lessons for Bihar’s proposed Sports City and future sporting infrastructure.
Leading a high-level delegation, Singh is examining Odisha’s High Performance Centre (HPC) model, public-private partnership (PPP) framework, sports science integration and athlete development programmes that have earned the state recognition as India’s leading sports destination.
The delegation, comprising Director of Sports Arif Ahsan, Deputy Director (BSSA) Himanshu Singh and other senior officials, visited the Kalinga Stadium complex in Bhubaneswar, where they inspected the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Shooting High Performance Centre, Gymnastics High Performance Centre, Aquatic Centre, Shuttle (Badminton) High Performance Centre, Hockey High Performance Centre, Sports Science Centre, Indoor Athletics Centre, Weightlifting High Performance Centre and the AIFF-FIFA Talent Academy.
During the visit, the Bihar Minister held detailed discussions with senior officials of Odisha’s Sports & Youth Services Department on athlete development, talent identification, sports administration, event management and institutional best practices. The interaction focused on exploring avenues for knowledge sharing and adopting successful models for Bihar’s growing sports ecosystem.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Sports & Youth Services Department, Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Sports Director Yedulla Vijay and other senior officials briefed the visiting delegation on the planning, execution and management of Odisha’s sports infrastructure and high-performance programmes.
The delegation is also scheduled to visit Puri to inspect the Kho Kho High Performance Centre and Sports Hostel as part of its study tour aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in sports development between Odisha and Bihar.
Appreciating Odisha’s achievements in the sports sector, the Bihar delegation said the state’s athlete-centric approach, world-class infrastructure and professionally managed High Performance Centres provide a benchmark for other states. The delegation noted that the insights gained during the visit would significantly contribute to the planning and development of Bihar’s upcoming sports projects and athletic infrastructure.
