THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR,
SEPTEMBER 26, 2026
Ten young hockey
players from Odisha, including seven cadets of the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey
High-Performance Centre (ONTHHPC), were felicitated by Chief Minister Mohan
Charan Majhi here on Saturday for their contribution to India’s gold
medal-winning campaigns at the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Junior Asia Cup
2026 in Moqi, China.
The Chief Minister
presented a prize of Rs 1.25 lakh to each of the 10 players in recognition of
their performances in the prestigious continental tournament.
The felicitation
ceremony was held at Kalinga Stadium during the 16th Tata Steel Friendship Cup
Football Tournament 2026 and was attended by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh
Deo, Electronics and Information Technology, Health and Family Welfare and
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling, Panchayati Raj and Rural
Development Minister Rabi Narayan Naik and Sports and Youth Services Minister
Suryabanshi Suraj, among other dignitaries.
The seven ONTHHPC
cadets honoured on the occasion were Anmol Ekka, Adrohit Ekka, Rohit Kullu,
Aryan Xess, Sanjit Tirkey, Vivek Lakra and Engil Harsharani Minz. They were
joined by three other Odisha players, Ritik Lakra, Puja Sahoo and Tanuja Toppo.
Anmol Ekka, who
captained the Indian junior men’s team, finished the tournament as its top
scorer with 17 goals, while fellow ONTHHPC cadet Vivek Lakra was adjudged the
Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
The achievement of
the 10 players has further highlighted Odisha’s growing contribution to Indian
hockey and the state’s role in developing players capable of competing at the
international level.
The ONTHHPC, a joint
initiative of Tata Steel and Tata Trusts in partnership with the Government of
Odisha, provides young players with structured coaching, high-performance
training, tactical analysis and holistic athlete development.
The felicitation also underscored the role of the high-performance centre in creating a structured pathway for talented hockey players from Odisha to progress from grassroots and development programmes to the international stage.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Sports and Youth Services Department Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Director of Sports Dr Yedulla Vijay, Brahmagiri MLA Upasana Mohapatra and Tata Steel Vice President, Corporate Services, D B Sundara Ramam were also present at the ceremony.
