A clear objective and a sincerity of purpose, an eagerness to learn from shared experiences and a readiness to find ways to go past perceptions and contribute to the growth story of Indian sport came together in a sensitive and special way in Bhubaneswar last weekend. And, before I say much else, I must say that it was privilege to be at hand to experience the intense urge.
With an acute awareness that sports infrastructure alone cannot produce champions, Odisha is now sharpening its focus on investment in human capital, athletes, coaches and sports science personnel. This realisation, driven by an aspiration to empower better performance by the State athletes in National Games and Khelo India Youth Games, sparks immense excitement.
That was evident when Odisha Department of Sports and Youth Services hosted the Odisha Sports Chintan Shivir 2026, barely a month after the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports held its Chintan Shivir in Srinagar. The idea was to hear experts in various domains and take the learnings to draw up a roadmap to makle Odisha a better sports State.
In the two sessions that I has the privilege of moderating – Athlete Welfare & Social Security, and Governance – I sought to get the panelists to draw from their experience and share insights that Odisha could incorporate in its sport development pathway. It was important for us to do that since the idea was for Odisha to find ways to get better as a Sports State.
I believe that the panels on Athlete Welfare & Social Security (Deepa Malik, Col. Mohan Rao, Siddharth Deshmukh, Col. Raj Singh Bishnoi and Tahsin Zaidi) and Governance (Dilip Tirkey, MM Somayya, Nandan Kamath and Keshav Kumar) offered practical insights that Odisha can benefit from.
The Odisha sports leadership – the young Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, Commissioner-cum-Secretary Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Director of Sports Dr. Yeddula Vijay – sat through the sessions and absorbed the learnings shared by the panelists from around the country. The rapt attention with which they heard the discussions was truly admirable.
I also loved the idea of integrating sports and physical education, with the Chintan Shivir including District Sports Officers and District Physical Education Officers. I reckon this can be seen as a great step towards bringing the two critical functionaries together rather than have them work in silos. I believe this can be a game changer, indeed.
It will be interesting to watch the Odisha Sport’s growth trajectory in the years ahead. It has an ambition – to be among the top 5 States in National Games and in Khelo India competitions – and it is seeking a carve a route for that journey. It will also be interesting to see if all States and Union Territories earmark their roles as integral part of the assembly line in Indian sport.
And yes, there were learnings that will help me in my own journey in Indian sport.
