Odishas Hockey History To Be Included In NCERT Textbooks, Aims To Promote Sports Among Youth

Image Credit- Twitter/ Hockey India, Facebook/ Dharmendra Pradhan

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Odisha's Hockey History To Be Included In NCERT Textbooks, Aims To Promote Sports Among Youth

This latest initiative of including hockey in the curriculum aims to promote hockey among young minds and strengthen Odisha's vision of producing 100 Olympians by 2036.

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In a bid to promote hockey and highlight its history and relevance in Odisha, Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Education Minister, on Thursday, announced the central government's decision to include the sports' yore and hosting of the two world cups in NCERT textbooks as part of the curriculum. The decision was taken at the all-party meeting held at the Loksabha.

Vision Of Producing 100 Olympians By 2036

In the last ten years, Odisha has hosted significant hockey tournaments. As the state gears up to host the Men's Hockey World Cup in 2023 for the second time in a row, Pradhan urged everyone to promote Odisha's art, heritage, and traditions at the greatest level.

The minister also noted that India has consistently displayed its hockey prowess, and its popularity among youngsters in Odisha has compounded in recent years. The 18-member squad announced for the world cup has two players from Odisha, including the vice-captain, Amit Rohidas.

The state has been leading the country in promoting sports, particularly hockey. This latest initiative of including hockey in the curriculum aims to promote hockey among young minds and strengthen the state's vision of producing 100 Olympians by 2036.

India could host the Olympics in 2036, the year Odisha celebrates the 100th anniversary of the state's birth. This time, seven Odisha players participated in the Olympics. The goal is to increase this number to 100 by 2036, said Pradhan, as he called for everyone, especially the tribal and backward class children and young girls, to work together in fulfilling their vision, according to The Indian Express.

Odisha And Hockey: A Brewing Love Affair

Tokyo Olympics in 2020 played a significant role in the revival of hockey among the masses. While the men's team won a bronze medal after 40 years of waiting, the women's team also reached the semi-final. This revival of Indian Hockey on the international stage can be attributed to the initiatives undertaken by Odisha.

When Sahara was cornered in legal hurdles and could no longer sponsor the national team in 2018, the Odisha government signed a ₹150 crore deal to sponsor India's Hockey teams, both senior and junior levels, with Hockey India over the next five years. This was the first time a state government was sponsoring the national team, and the government has recently extended its partnership with Hockey India for five more years.

A relationship that began in 2014, when Odisha hosted the 2014 Champions Trophy, solidified into a high-potential partnership as they went on to host the World Cup in 2018. This was the time when many infrastructural developments also began taking place. The state government collaborated with TATA in 2018 to set up Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre (HPC) in Bhubaneshwar.

The government also invested in building 89 multi-purpose indoor stadiums and synthetic hockey turfs in the state, which is said to have 12 grass-root centres and 2500 young trainees currently in training. Many players who have represented India internationally have received coaching in hockey through the state's network of sports hostels, which serves hundreds of kids.

The FIH Men's Hockey World Cup is currently scheduled to take place in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in 2023. With an anticipated investment of Rs 120 crore, the government is constructing the largest hockey stadium in the country in Rourkela, which can hold 20,000 people.

Also Read: Odisha Is Building India's Biggest Hockey Stadium For World Cup 2023- Here's All You Need To Know

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Writer : Hardik Bhardwaj
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