Archive for the 'Odisha sports' Category

Nine of the 23 players of the Indian national women’s soccer team are from Odisha: Dharitri; Update: 5 of them are from Aali in Kendrapada district

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Following is from Dharitri.

Following is from Sambada.

Sasmita Mallick, captain of the national Women’s soccer team, is the seventh Odia player to lead a national team: Sambada

Kendrapada, Men's hockey, Women's footbal, Women's hockey Comments Off on Sasmita Mallick, captain of the national Women’s soccer team, is the seventh Odia player to lead a national team: Sambada

The others are:

  1. Dilip Tirkey (Men’s Hockey)
  2. Prabodh Tirkey (Men’s Hockey)
  3. Ignace Tirkey (Men’s Hockey)
  4. Subhadra Pradhan (Women’s Hockey)
  5. Jyoti Sunita Kullu (Women’s Hockey)
  6. Shradhanjali Samantaray (Women’s Soccer)

Tata Steel to establish a Hockey Academy in Odisha: Dharitri

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Khordha, Men's hockey, Odisha sports, Tatas, Women's footbal, Women's hockey 1 Comment »

A few points and recap of similar news:

  1. TATA Steel has a football academy in Jamshedpur.
  2. Hockey: SAIL has a hockey academy in Rourkela which serves the tribal belt around Sundergarh well.  The proposed Hockey academy in Bhubaneswar will be a good plus. I think KISS with its large tribal students could and would be one of the top recruiting ground for the proposed hockey academy.
  3. Women’s footbal (soccer): As per the news item at http://www.dailypioneer.com/321111/FAO-glad-to-host-SAFF-Championship-in-December.html the Football Academy of Odisha (FAO) is setting up a woman football academy in Cuttack or Kendrapada.
  4. Sports, Hockey: The above article also mentions that the State government is spending 20 crores for an Odisha Hockey Academy and astroturf hockey stadium in the Kalinga stadium complex. (See news item below.)
     
  5. American Football: Bhubaneswar to be one of the eight teams in the Elite Football League that will start in 2012.
  6. Indoor games: ECOR making an indoor stadium in Bhubaneswar.
  7. Tennis Academy: Being established in Bhubaneswar.
  8. Cricket Academy: Odisha Cricket academy has been established in Cuttack.
  9. Cricket: ECOR has made a cricket stadium in Bhubaneswar and aims to make it of international standards.

Bhubaneswar Warhawks: One of the eight teams that are part of the new American Football league (called Elight Football League of India) to play in India starting 2012

American Football - Bhubaneswar Warhawks, Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Khordha 4 Comments »

The website of this league is http://www.efli.com/. This league is backed by some big names in American Football. Following is an excerpt from the page http://www.efli.com/news/american-football-is-coming-to-india/.

The Elite Football League of India plans to kick off in the fall of 2012, and Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal reports that its backers include some familiar names to American fans, such as Ron Jaworski, Mike Ditka and Packers linebacker Brandon Chillar (pictured), who is of Indian descent.

Following is an excerpt from the page http://www.efli.com/news/cowboys-in-india-jaworski-helps-launch-new-football-league/.

Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, and current ESPN football analyst, Ron Jaworski is an investor and consultant for a new football league being started in India, according to a report in our sister publication Sports Business Journal.

… Other investors in the proposed eight-team league, which would begin play in November 2012, include Michael Irvin and Mike Ditka, who are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The eight teams in this league and the tentative week 1 schedule in 2012 is:

WEEK 1 DATE HOME VISITOR
         
Game 1 Monday 12-Nov-12 (7) Mumbai Gladiators (8) Pune Black Tigers
Game 2 Saturday 17-Nov-12 (3) Goa Swarm (4) Hyderabad Skykings
Game 3 Sunday 1 18-Nov-12 (5) Kolkata Vipers  (6) Punjab Warriors
Game 4 Sunday 2 18-Nov-12 (1) Bhubaneswar Warhawks  (2) Delhi Defenders

This is a big deal for Bhubaneswar and if indeed things go as planned Bhubaneswar will get a lot of publicity in the USA.

The logo of the Bhubaneswar Warhawks is a nice one. See below.

I was wondering how come Bhubaneswar is one of the eight teams. Its probably because they will try to get some of the rugby players to play American Football and the KISS Bhubaneswar rugby team has won several international championships in recent years. Following are some pointers.

Odisha women win the National Football Championship; earlier this year they were also the national games champion in football

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Following is from a report in ibnlive.com.

Orissa blanked three-time champions Bengal 5-0 to clinch their maiden title in the 19th edition of the Senior National women’s football championship at Pant Stadium here today. Orissa’s leading goal scorer Sasmita Mallick struck a brace (5th and 80th), while Jabamoni Soren (50th), Pinky Magar (60th) and Shradhanjali Samantaray (71st) fired in one each to complete the rout. With five minutes remaining, Orissa had an unassailable 5-0 lead when heavy showers stopped play yesterday. Orissa completed the formalities when the play resumed this morning. Incidentally, this was the biggest margin defeat suffered by any team in the championship’s final, surpassing Bengal’s 0-4 loss to Manipur in the second edition of the tournament in 1992-93. The reigning National Games champions, Orissa, thus erased the bitter memories in the final of the last edition of the tournament in Imphal where they lost to Manipur who won their record 14th title. "We had beaten Bengal 4-0 in the quarterfinal league…So we were confident of winning against the same team in the final. Had it been Manipur, the girls would have been a little apprehensive. It’s really a proud moment for us," an ecstatic Orissa coach Chitrasen Patra told PTI. Orissa routed former runners-up Kerala 13-0, blanked Haryana and Bengal by identical scorelines of 4-0 to top group B in their quarterfinal league.

The winning team received a rousing welcome when they returned to Odisha. Following is from Sambada.

An interesting fact to note is that several of the top Odisha players (including the captain and the top scorer), some of whom play for India, are from a particular district in Odisha; the Kendrapada district. This district has sent so many womens football players to play for Odisha and India that it is sometimes referred to as the women’s football cradle of India. Following are some old links about this.

  • http://www.odishatoday.com/sports/World_Cup_soccer_mania_grips_Kendrapara_120610-976987648465356423563734586.html Excerpts: … backward villages in Aul and Rajkanika region here. The villages shot to fame for contributing a number of emerging women footballers of both State and national repute in the past few years. At least 15 of them are now playing for the country in various age groups while the State women’s football team mostly includes players from this region. Five international players, Sashmita Mallick, Suprava Samal, Sangita Patra, Alochana Senapati and Gayatri Mallik are all from Aul-Rajkanika region of this district while Alochana and Sashmita have emerged as idols in the country.
  • http://expressbuzz.com/States/Orissa/two-kendrapara-girls-bend-it-like-beckham/147378.html
  • http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100916/jsp/orissa/story_12940399.jsp : A cluster of backward villages in Aul teshil region of Kendrapara district continues to dribble past all odds to reach the goal of churning out the best women footballers for the state.

    This success story began about eight years ago when the mini stadium of Aul block hosted a series of exhibition of women’s football matches. Since then, many women footballers from Aul have donned the national jersey.

    “It’s an amazing story. Although the girls are mostly from poor economic background, patronage of the Aul Athletics Association has resulted in many of them entering the soccer arena,” said Raj Kamal Mandal, a former coach of women’s football and district sports officer of Kendrapara.

    At present, nine girls from Aul are international players representing the country at various levels.

    “While three local girls are part of senior national team, the junior (under-19) squad includes two players from the Aul belt. Five footballers from this area represent the country in the sub-junior (under-16) team,” Mandal said.

    The state women’s football team is virtually packed with girls from Aul. Thirty-six girls have found their place in Orissa’s senior, junior and sub-junior women’s football teams. It is a matter of pride that they have overcome poverty and social stigma to achieve success.

    Most of these emerging stars are from far-flung and unknown villages such as Malapatana, Giribandha, Goudpatana, Mulasahi, Niala, Kanteipur, Telepatana, Dhanamandal and Adheikana.

    … “After a few exhibition matches in 2008, we invited the girls of Aul to take part in a training camp. The response was amazing. Over 40 girls eagerly waited for the training session to commence. Since then, they never looked back. At present, we have a reserve pool of around 50 girls who undergo training at the Aul stadium,” Sharma said.

ECOR to make an indoor stadium in Bhubaneswar: Samaja

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Short Biography of former Indian Hockey Captain Dilip Tirkey: Samaja

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International standard tennis academy to come up in Bhubaneswar: Dharitri

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Cuttack, Khordha, Odisha sports 3 Comments »

Pragyan Ojha is the third Odia to play test match for India and first Odia to play all three forms (test, one-day and 20-20): Samaja

Odisha personalities, Odisha sports 4 Comments »

Orissa Cricket Academy established in Cuttack

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Cricket, Cricket stadium, Cuttack 27 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from a report in Telegraph.

… Aimed at coaching and training boys from 11 to 19 years, the Orissa Cricket Academy envisions acting as “an educational institution and a nursery” to “effectively tap and groom young talent for the future”.

It has already enrolled the first batch of 40 trainees selected on the basis of performance and record during the under-15, under-17 and under-19 inter-district matches. They are being provided free accommodation and food within the Barabati Stadium complex. …

The youngsters would be imparted training and coaching on modern techniques and physical fitness by qualified and experienced coach, physio trainer and video analyst. …

As part of a major infrastructure development project underway at the stadium, OCA has set up the academy at a cost of Rs 6 crore, 50 per cent of which was provided by the BCCI. National Cricket Academy director Dav Whatmore, … said: “It will act as a state-of-the-art workshop and nursery to enhance performance levels by producing well-talented cricketers with well-rounded personalities to meet the current challenges of international cricket.”

Sprawling over a 2-acre area on the southwest corner of the stadium complex the academy has 10 pitches — six natural turfs, two synthetic (one designed to help pacers and other for spinners) and two concrete. The academy, supported with hi-tech multi-gym facility. R. Srikant has been appointed chief coach with Sourajit Mohapatra, Manas Ray and Daniel Rout to assist him in bowling, batting and fielding, respectively.

The state cricket association had undertaken a major infrastructure development work is in progress at the stadium.

The Rs 56-crore project with 50 per cent funding from BCCI envisaged extension of pavilion, galleries, an indoor hall for practice sessions during inclement weather, swimming pools for players, a permanent academy and hi-tech dressing room of international standard.

An international standard Cricket stadium coming up in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar- Cuttack- Puri, Cricket, Cricket stadium, Khordha 6 Comments »

Following is an excerpt from a report in odishatoday.com.

"I have already talked with BCCI president Sharad Pawar requesting him to release funds for the infrastructure development of the Railway Cricket Stadium here in Orissa ," Railway Board Chairman and BCCI member Kalyan Coomar Jena said after inaugurating the Stadium here on Monday.

With inauguration of the Stadium, OCA and other cricket bodies could now host Ranji Trophy and other domestic cricket matches in the stadium. And after the expansion work got over, the Stadium could be a venue for the One-Day Internationals.

Railway sources said that the gallery would be made on lines of gallery that are being available in New Zealand.

"We have planned to make the Stadium as world class and facilities would be available on standards of other International venues," Jena, who is one among the policy maker of BCCI, said.

"I also discussed the matter with BCCI Treasure N Srinivasan and I hope, the country’s apex cricket body would release funds under its infrastructure development sachems, he added.

The Stadium is spread over 25 acres of land near here at Railway Workshop having a cricket ground with a boundary of 81 meters radius.

The Railway officials claimed that it would the biggest ever cricket ground in the world. The out field of the ground is planted with baramunda grass. In the first phase, Railway had released Rs 1.5 crore and in the second phase, the Ministry has sanctioned Rs 3 crore for the expansion of the Railway Stadium.

Meanwhile, OCA has announced to release a sum of Rs 1 crore in the initial phase, which will be spent on infrastructure development.

Orissa top in national girls’ soccer championship: Samaja

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Sundergarh and Hockey: Samaja weekend article

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Orissa athletes win bronze in Asian rowing championship: Samaja

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Six Oriyas in India’s womens football team

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Following is an excerpt from a report in Hindu.

The team:

Ronibala Chanu, Prashanthi Pradhan (goalkeepers); Gulti Choudhry, Ansha, Madhukumari, Alochana Senapathi, Jayanthi Barua, A. Romidevi, Thoi, Gitanjali Khuntia (defenders); Pinki Magar Bhompal, O. Bembem, Geetarani Chanu, Amoolya Jayaram, Gayathri Mallick, Lalvermoi Hmar, Sasmita Malik, Rinku Ghosh (mid fielders), N.C. Bala Devi, Shilpi Deb, Domiaka, S. Vasanthi, Jagdeep Kaur (strikers).

Following is from Dharitri.
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Tata footbal academy looking for talents in Kalinganagar

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Jajpur, Jajpur Rd- Vyasanagar- Duburi- Kalinganagar, Odisha sports, Tatas Comments Off on Tata footbal academy looking for talents in Kalinganagar

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Telegraph on tribal hockey players from Orissa

Men's hockey, Odisha sports 1 Comment »

Following are some excerpts from a Telegraph report. (Thanks to Deba Nayak for the pointer.)

“Having five players from Orissa in the national team, including the captain, is reason enough for us to celebrate. Our boys are not tired of the revelry yet,” said Amulya Nanda Bihari, the coach at the Rourkela sports hostel, today.

The boarders at Sundargarh and Cuttack, too, are celebrating the victory for the third consecutive day.

… Virtually one-third of the team being from Orissa, the state has emerged as a hockey powerhouse.

Hockey is less of a sport and more a way of life here, says Bihari, who has been a coach to Ignace Tirkey, William Tirkey and Prabodh Tirkey, the goal-keeper captain of the Indian team. He has witnessed the rise and fall and now the revival of the game since 1986, a year after the Rourkela hostel was set up.

Bihari, feted with the pretigious Biju Pattnaik Award for his contribution to hockey, pays a handsome tribute to the tribals’ natural flair for hockey. “Children in Sundargarh, Rourkela and Deogarh start playing at an early age — sometimes as early as five, and there never has been a dearth of talent. …

It is because tribals are so level-headed that makes them excel in defence, says Bihari.

Another coach, Milton Bilung endorses Bihari. “It’s an all-day and all-weather game for the tribals. Sometimes when tournaments are held, 200 teams participate and it becomes extremely difficult to manage.”

While Christian missionaries made the game popular, lure of government jobs is another reason for drawing the tribals. Almost all good players manage to get placement in Nalco, Railways and Orissa Police. Many lose interest in the game after grabbing the jobs, rued Bilung.

Currently, there are around 115 tribal players lodged in sports hostel such as those at Rourkela, Sundergarh and Cuttack.

Among these, Rajgangpur, Balishankara and Talsara in Sundergarh have produced the finest players so far.

Hockey as part of life in Sundergarh: Samaja

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Seven from Orissa in the National Women’s Soccer training Camp; other recent Orissa sports achievements

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Following are excerpts from a Newkerala report.

Seven players from Orissa will participate in the national senior women football training camp scheduled to be held at Neyvelli in Tamil Nadu from September 10.

The players selected for the training were– Prasanti Pradhan, Alochana Senapati, Gayatri Mallick, Gitanjali Khuntia, Sukumati Lagori, Sasmita Mallick and Pinki Bomphal Magar.

Orissa State Women’s Football Association General Secretary Sahadev Rout said while four of them had already played for the country, Prasanti (Goalkeeper), Gayatri (Half) and Lagori (Forward) were new faces.

Note that in the 33rd National Games Womens’ football championship, held earlier in this year, Orissa was the champion. But later in the year it lost in the semifinals of the 15th women’s national football championship. In recent years Orissa’s Sradhanjali Samantray has captained India’s national women’s football team.

Orissa also sends significant members to the Indian national women’s as well as men’s hockey teams. Orissa’s Jyoti Sunita Kullu (bio), who got an Arjuna award earlier this year, has captained the Indian national women’s hockey team. A recent team was captained by Binita Toppo of Orissa and had three other members from Orissa in Suniti Kispotta, Poonam Toppo and Binita Xess. The current women’s hockey probables 18 has the following six players from Orissa: Poonam Toppo, Nilima Kujur, Binita Toppo, Mukta Barla, Binita Xess and Subhadra Pradhan.

Dilip Tirkey has captained the Indian national men’s hockey team and Prabodh Tirkey is the current captain. The current team of eighteen consists of the following Orissa palyers: Dilip Tirkey, William Xalco, Prabodh Tirkey (captain) and Ignace Tirkey. Orissa Steelers, captained by Dilip Tirkey, won the 2007 Premier Hockey League championship in 2007.