Redefining Sports Culture: Odisha’s Quest to Bring World-Class Events to Kalinga Stadium
As India’s new starting point for athletes to compete in national and international competitions, the renowned Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar is currently holding the 62nd Inter State Athletics Championship and the Intercontinental four-nation football event.
Odisha’s Sports and Youth Services Secretary, Vineel Krishna, assured that Kalinga Stadium will continue to strive to host world-class events, making it a priority to host the best athletes from India and around the world, in response to the significance of hosting two marquee events that overlap each other.
“June was a nice period for these events when the idea was brought to us, but when the dates were set, there was some overlap because of the Asian Games qualification deadline. The athletics championship was thus limited to this window of time.
Many people are perplexed by how we can have two tournaments at the same location, Krishna continued.
Krishna stated, “We were extremely confident. But organising these competitions has its own difficulties. Having previously worked for staging a number of national and international tournaments, our crew is also knowledgeable.
He stated that the Intercontinental Cup gets underway at 4 p.m., while the athletics competitions start in the morning and end by 1 p.m.
In reference to Odisha frequently hosting significant international sporting events, Krishna remarked, “The multi-sport competitions would increase Odisha’s profile as a potential host city. Athletes from Sri Lanka and the Maldives are participate in the athletics competition in addition to the international football tournament. Each person will bring something back from Odisha. They now serve as brand advocates for us.
Speaking of the long-term goals, Krishna stated, “We want to hold numerous championships at the same venue in the future to make the most of the stadium complex as a whole. We have tremendous stadium resources, so planning is going well. We are happy that this stadium can now hold more events.
In the Intercontinental Cup final on June 18, India and Lebanon will compete for top honours. The other two teams who participated in the competition were Vanuatu and Mongolia. On Thursday, the Inter State Athletics Championship began, and it will last through June 19.