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The Odisha state government is all set to host the inaugural edition of the international badminton tournament, the 2022 Odisha Open. The BWF World Tour Super 100 badminton tournament Odisha Open will be played from January 25 to 30.
The six-day tournament, the Odisha Open, will witness over 300 players from 18 countries vying for the top honors. After the successful conduct of the Indian Open and Syed Modi tournaments in the last fortnight, the 2022 Odisha Open is another BWF tournament in India.
The maiden Odisha Open tournament will take place at the world-class Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack.
The Odisha Open will however be held behind closed doors. No spectators will be allowed and strict adherence to Covid guidelines and norms laid down by the State Government and Badminton World Federation (BWF) will be followed.
“Odisha is hosting this event for the first time and our collective efforts are to ensure an overall safe and secure environment for players to participate in their respective games. The Sports and Youth Services department is working closely with the Badminton Association of India and Odisha State Badminton Association to ensure that the event is held as per BWF standards and is conducted smoothly with the safety of players being given utmost priority,” said Odisha Sports Minister, Tusharkanti Behera.
Tusharkanti Behera said several top Indian and foreign players have already reached the venue for the Odisha Open and submitted their mandatory Covid-19 reports.
Looking forward to hosting the Odisha Open successfully, state sports minister Behera
Odisha State sports minister Tusharkanti Behera is aware of the challenge of hosting the tournament amidst the pandemic. However, he is confident that the Odisha Open will be a successful event. The qualifying rounds will begin on Tuesday.
“Covid protocols have also been clearly defined. We look forward to hosting all the players and officials and wish them a wonderful stay in Odisha and good luck for their event,” said Tusharkanti Behera.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Odisha State Government has always taken great strides to promote sports, across several disciplines, and badminton is one of them.
Odisha to come up with badminton high performance center soon
Odisha will soon come up with a high performance badminton center. Most of the work has already been done. The Odisha Government is planning to inaugurate the state-of-the-art badminton academy at the end of the year. Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand is the guiding force behind the new project, said the state minister.
“Hosting this inaugural edition of the Odisha Open is another step in getting more sportspeople from the state ecosystem to aspire and grow in the sport. Very soon, our badminton high performance center will also be completed and get operational,” he added.
As per the protocols laid down by Odisha State Government and Badminton World Federation (BWF), the RT PCR test is mandatory for all players and officials. All the players arrived on January 23 to participate in the event. Players also need to carry their RT PCR negative reports (72 hours) at the time of arrival along with their vaccination certificate.
Moreover, as per the BWF guidelines, no player shall be allowed to enter the venue (events and practices) without a prior negative RTPCR report. State associations have also been asked to intimate players on these guidelines.
Random testing shall also be conducted for technical officials and players not staying at official hotels. Teams from Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and Capital Hospital along with a dedicated team from the State Sports Department will be deployed for this.
The venue, Jawaharlal Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, has gone through minor upgradation and enhancement befitting the event. The District Administration and Cuttack Municipal Corporation are also ensuring Silver City is ready to welcome players and officials and create a memorable experience for them.
