Rourkela/Bhubaneswar: Twenty-eight girl hockey trainees, who hail from Sundargarh district, left a government-run sports hostel in Bhubaneswar and returned to Rourkela in a sudden move.
The trainees, all tribals, quietly left the hostel at Kalinga Stadium yesterday without informing anyone and after reaching the steel city last night met Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Rourkela K S Chakroborty.
Hostel officials confirmed that the trainees have left but were clueless about the possible reason.
"There is nothing serious about their return. Actually they have come back because they felt very homesick. There were some small issues," said Chakroborty.
Senior hockey coach A N Bihari, who is considered the mentor of the players, said the trainees, who happen to be extremely simple and sentimental, came back for no serious reason and would return soon.
"Arrangements are being made for their return to Bhubaneswar as soon as possible. We have spoken to the trainees and they are now convinced about the need to proceed to the state capital for better training," said Bihari.
Soon after the players met him, the ADM had called the coach A N Bihari from the local Panposh Hockey Academy to discuss the matter. The trainees were sent to their old academy for the time being.
The ADM claimed that the trainees have told him about good facilities available at Bhubaneswar hostel. Probably they had developed strong attachment with their old academy here for which they came here, he said.
Subrat Tarai, MLA from Raghunathpalli, also joined the meeting after he came to know about the development. He hoped the matter would be sorted out very soon.
These trainees had been shifted to Bhubaneswar during April for higher training, which was earlier being provided in Rourkela by the coaches posted.
These coaches know them closely as they have trained them since they joined hockey academy at the age of 12 years, sources said.