The State Government on Saturday recruited 39 meritorious sportspersons, 30 women and nine men, from various sporting fields in the State police service.
Earlier, 96 sportspersons had been appointed in various ranks of police in six phases.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the State would continue to support sportspersons in every possible manner to enable them to achieve their dreams.
Congratulating the personnel for joining the police service, Patnaik said, “I am sure your parents and families are proud of your achievement. As youth are the future of our State, investment in sports is investment in youth. Investment in youth is investment in the future of this State.”
“We have embarked on a journey to make Odisha a sports powerhouse. In the last few years, Odisha has featured prominently in the sports sector in the country. We have successfully hosted a number of national and international events. Hockey World Cup 2018 and Asian Athletics championship 2017 have been a great success for the State,” Patnaik said.
He pointed out that the State is investing more than Rs 1,000 crore in developing the sports infrastructure and building India’s largest hockey stadium in Rourkela for the Hockey World Cup in 2023.
The State has partnered with corporate houses and eminent sportspersons to start high performance centres. Coaching at the grassroots level and sports education in schools is a major focus area to develop sports across the State, he added.