With just a few days to go before the ITF Asia U-14 Development Championship commences in Bhubaneswar, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday inaugurated a tennis centre here at the Kalinga Stadium Sports Complex.
He also launched the logo and jersey for the upcoming international tennis tournament.
The tennis centre has been certified by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and features one synthetic centre court with a seating capacity of 1,400 people, gymnasium, players' changing room, auditorium, rooms for dignitaries, media room etc. The centre has been developed at a cost of Rs 25 crore, officials said.
The tennis centre with eight synthetic courts is now capable of hosting matches under the aegis of the International Tennis Federation and Asian Tennis Federation.
The Chief Minister congratulated the Odisha Tennis Association (OTA) and the sports department for working closely to give boost to the sport in the state.
"The Kalinga Stadium Sports Complex has been admired as a hub of sports and a premier training ground that is nurturing champions of the future," Patnaik said.
"Addition of the tennis centre strengthens our ecosystem further, which will help our tennis players compete and excel at national and international events. It will also help unearth hidden talents and nurture potential medallists," he added.
Tennis players from Odisha -- Kabir Hans, Debasis Sahoo, Sohini Sanjay Mohanty and Aradhya Verma -- have been making their mark in the tennis circuits and the OTA and the sports department are focussing on creating a roadmap for sustainable high performance by young tennis players of the state.
"Addition of the tennis centre strengthens our ecosystem further, which will help our tennis players compete and excel at national and international events. It will also help unearth hidden talents and nurture potential medallists," he added.
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