Hockey astro turf to be laid in Sambalpur

Sambalpur: A hockey astro turf will be laid in tribal-dominated Jujumura block in Sambalpur district to give a boost to players in the region.

An astro turf, which had been removed from the Hockey Complex in Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, will be relaid at the ground of Jujumura High School to provide proper infrastructure to the hockey players.

"Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) has been assigned with the responsibility to re-lay the astro turf at Jujumura High School ground, said District Sports Officer, Upendra Satpathy.

Around Rs four crore are generally spent on laying of astro turf. However, IDCO will prepare the exact estimate and float tender for the re-laying of the astro turf. It takes around two months to complete the whole process, he said.

If everything goes as per plan, the first hockey astro turf of the district will be ready at Jujumura by the end of this financial year, Satpathy said adding there are many talented hockey players in the area but they are not getting the proper infrastructure now and the astro turf will be a boon for them.

Both under-17 girls and boys hockey teams of the district had made it to the final in the Tribal Sports Competition held this year. However, as the final was played on the astro turf and players of the district did not have the experience with astro turf, they failed to perform well in the final. The problem will be over once astro turf is developed here, said a sports official.