Bhubaneswar
As India’s finest athletes prepare for the upcoming National Games in Goa, Odisha is poised to make a strong showing, boasting a contingent of 309 athletes and offering them a platform to demonstrate their skills. The state’s robust performance can be attributed to quality training, infrastructure, and High-Performance Centers. Martin Owens, the head of the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre, expressed his thoughts ahead of this prestigious competition. He emphasized the team’s high morale, rigorous preparation, and confidence as they approach the National Games. A total of 12 athletes from the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre will represent Odisha at the National Games. Speaking about their morale, Owens commented, Our morale is very high; we were not as confident last year. This confidence is a natural outcome of intense year-long preparations. Martin Owens further explained, For those athletes who did not participate in the Asian Games and were not focusing on international events, the National Games has been the primary focus throughout the year. It’s their significant opportunity to prove themselves. We have recently performed well in the Open Nationals and are currently competing at the Indian Open U-23 Athletics Competition 2023 in Chandigarh, all part of our preparation for the National Games. Owens believes that Odisha’s well-established sports ecosystem provides its athletes with a long-term advantage over other states. He attributed this advantage to the substantial investment in athletics made by the Odisha government, led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and the commitment of Reliance, driven by Mrs. Neeta Ambani, to provide top-quality coaching and processes. As a result, Odisha’s athletes may not always be the best, but they are the best prepared, and Owens expressed their hopes of winning medals at the National Games.
