Despite stiff opposition from various corners, the State Sports department has shifted senior boy and girl hockey trainees from the Rourkela-based Panposh Sports Hostel of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) to the Sports Hostel of Bhubaneswar and has begun imparting them training in the Kalinga stadium.
Source said the CoE has intake capacity of 30 boys and as many girls. Since its establishment, the Panposh Sports Hostel has produced above 50 senior and junior international players, including big names. As per report, 23 senior boys and as many girls of the centre have already left Rourkela and reported at Bhubaneswar. Rest 14 boys and girls are either in camps or have joined service. Though the Sports department claimed that the shifting was necessary as the players could not do practice for non-availability of field with the second astro-turf not ready for use yet, but the hockey lovers, many sports organisations and senior hockey players see it as a conspiracy. They argued that intentionally the second astro-turf ground work was delayed. Rajgangpur MlA (who was a hockey player) and Panposh Sports Association president Gregory Minz demanded immediate rollback of the decision. Similarly, former hockey player and Arjun awardee Michael Kindo said the decision would prove detrimental to the future of hockey and spoil the CoE talents who are a few steps away from serving the nation. He further said in Bhubaneswar, the players would miss a competitive environment.
Interestingly, a letter issued on February 18 by Assistant Director of Sports did not give any clear order about closure of the CoE at Panposh Sports Hostel, but directed for diversion of stipend from Rourkela Sports Hotel to that of Bhubaneswar.