Dalmia Cement lays foundation stone for academy

The construction of the actual academy is to be built within one year of the foundation stone laying ceremony. The academy will be equipped with 10 badminton courts, a gymnasium, and boarding and lodging facilities for players, coaches, and supporting staff. The academy will be solely responsible for the handling of all operations and functions of the Badminton HPC, as well as the repair, maintenance, and the upkeep of the Badminton HPC. It will facilitate coaching camps for various national and international events for nurturing young talents. This is as well as hosting and organising various national and international events. It is planned that the academy will impart a higher level of coaching and training with the help of world-class coaches and sports professionals. The academy will be of international standard and will provide advanced sports amenities to support and encourage the sports people to achieve excellence of an international standard.

Approximately 4 acres of land will be leased out by DSYS for the centre. As per a memorandum of understanding with the DSYS, the government of Odisha, the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation, and Dalmia Bharat Cement, it has been agreed in principle that the centre will be named Dalmia Bharat Gopichand Badminton Academy (an initiative supported by the government of Odisha).

Odisha has a rich sporting history and has produced world-class athletes and sports people. The state government has outlined its vision to make Odisha a major sporting destination by conducting national and international sporting events. Through DSYS, the government of Odisha desires to establish a high performance centre to nurture and train young players in badminton, with the objective of preparing players for international level.

“We are very obliged to the government of Odisha for providing us this commendable opportunity to set up a badminton HPC in the state,” said Puneet Dalmia, Managing Director of the Dalmia Bharat Group. “We at Dalmia Cement are committed to the growth of the state and its youth. And, as a responsible corporate company, we believe that our humble contribution in establishing a high performance centre for providing world-class coaching and training facilities, by our Chief National Badminton Coach and Arjuna Awardee Pullela Gopichand, will be a step forward to develop new global champions of badminton from the state.”

Dalmia Cement has noted that it has undertaken multiple activities to promote sports and sportsmanship in Odisha, as well as in India as a whole. This includes a hockey coaching centre for tribal youth in the Sundargarh district of Odisha, as well as being the prime sponsor of India’s international cricket matches. In the field of badminton, the company is already contributing to the growth of the sport in India as the owners of Team Delhi Dashers in the Premier Badminton League. It now aims to strengthen the consortium of excellence in sports through this association, as well as nurturing the dreams of badminton enthusiasts in Odisha.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/indian-subcontinent/17042019/dalmia-cement-lays-foundation-stone-for-academy/