{"id":88446,"date":"2026-07-29T19:26:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/29\/odisha-am-ns-india-kho-kho-high-performance-centre-celebrates-two-years-of-sporting-excellence\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T19:26:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:56:23","slug":"odisha-am-ns-india-kho-kho-high-performance-centre-celebrates-two-years-of-sporting-excellence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/29\/odisha-am-ns-india-kho-kho-high-performance-centre-celebrates-two-years-of-sporting-excellence\/","title":{"rendered":"Odisha AM\/NS India Kho Kho High Performance Centre Celebrates Two Years of Sporting Excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 29:<\/strong> <strong>The Odisha AM\/NS India Kho Kho High Performance Centre (Odisha AM\/NS KHPC), Puri<\/strong> marked its <strong>second anniversary<\/strong> with a landmark celebration, which included the <strong>felicitation of athletes<\/strong> of the centre who have excelled on national and international stages and the <strong>induction of a new batch of promising athletes<\/strong> through the <strong>Kho Kho Selection Trials 2026<\/strong>. This is a significant milestone in the journey of the centre in nurturing India\u2019s future Kho Kho champions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Odisha AM\/NS India Kho Kho High Performance Centre<\/strong> is a collaborative initiative between <strong>ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM\/NS India)<\/strong> and the <strong>Government of Odisha<\/strong> to nurture Kho Kho talent in the country. It also coaches and develops judges for the sport. The athletes of the Odisha AM\/NS KHPC have been achieving laurels in various prestigious international and national platforms such as <strong>Kho Kho World Cup 2025, National Games 2025, Khelo India Youth Games 2025, Junior National Kho Kho Championship 2024-2026, Senior National Kho Kho Championship 2025-2026,<\/strong> and <strong>Sub-Junior National Kho Kho Championship 2025-2026<\/strong>. Over the span of two years of its operations, the athletes have participated in <strong>more than 30 national, regional and state competitions<\/strong>, earning <strong>48 medals<\/strong> in various categories. This reinforces <strong>Odisha AM\/NS KHPC\u2019s<\/strong> role as a consistent talent incubator, where structured training and exposure to high-level competition are translating into measurable success and national recognition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Mr. Ashutosh Telang, Director &amp; Vice President \u2013 HR &amp; Administration, AM\/NS India<\/strong> said, <em>\u201cEven in a short span of two years, the Odisha AM\/NS India Kho Kho High Performance Centre has established itself as a beacon of structured training and talent development in the field of Kho Kho. The achievements of our athletes at national and international platforms reflect not only their dedication but also the strength of the ecosystem we have built together. As we welcome the new batch of athletes, we reaffirm our commitment to nurturing discipline, excellence, and competitive spirit, while shaping champions who will elevate India\u2019s standing in Kho Kho globally.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ceremony was attended by distinguished dignitaries including <strong>Shri Pratik Waikar, Captain of the Indian Men\u2019s Kho Kho Team<\/strong>, as the <strong>Special Guest<\/strong>. The <strong>Guests of Honour<\/strong> included <strong>Shri Pradyumna Mishra, Vice President, Kho Kho Federation of India &amp; Secretary, Odisha Kho Kho Association; Dr. Debabrata Dash, Head \u2013 HR (East), AM\/NS India; Dr. Vikas Yadvendu, Head \u2013 CSR, AM\/NS India;<\/strong> and <strong>Shri Sagar Samal, Project Head, Sports for All (SFA),<\/strong> the implementing partner for <strong>Odisha AM\/NS KHPC<\/strong>. Their presence encouraged the athletes, setting the stage for the induction of athletes who represent the next chapter in the centre\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the induction ceremony following the <strong>Kho Kho Selection Trials 2026<\/strong>, <strong>31 athletes<\/strong> from the <strong>Junior and Senior categories<\/strong> retained their places, while <strong>19 new athletes \u2014 10 boys and 9 girls \u2014<\/strong> were welcomed into the Centre. The fresh <strong>Sub-Junior<\/strong> intake was essential, as the entire <strong>2024 batch<\/strong> had progressed to the <strong>Junior<\/strong> level. Likewise, <strong>8 new Junior athletes<\/strong> joined after existing Juniors advanced to the <strong>Senior<\/strong> category. These transitions highlight the Centre\u2019s growing strength as a structured talent pipeline, ensuring continuity while creating opportunities for emerging athletes to rise through the ranks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the felicitation ceremony, athletes who brought laurels at various national championships were honoured for their exceptional achievements. The centre also recognised excellence beyond competitions, recognising athletes for <strong>all-round performance, exemplary discipline, consistent academic excellence,<\/strong> and <strong>remarkable contribution on the playing field<\/strong>. The athletes also showcased their skills in an exhibition match, demonstrating the <strong>speed, agility, tactical brilliance,<\/strong> and <strong>competitive spirit<\/strong> that define modern Kho Kho.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the <strong>Odisha AM\/NS India Kho Kho High Performance Centre<\/strong> enters its <strong>third year<\/strong>, it remains committed to its vision of <strong>developing world-class athletes<\/strong> and <strong>strengthening India\u2019s position as a global powerhouse in Kho Kho<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 29: The Odisha AM\/NS India Kho Kho High Performance Centre (Odisha AM\/NS KHPC), Puri marked its second anniversary with a landmark celebration, which included the felicitation of athletes of the centre who have excelled on national and international stages and the induction of a new batch of promising athletes through the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":88447,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-88446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newswireindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}