Promoting Sports and Sportpersons

Achyuta Samanta Receives National Award For Child Welfare

Believing in the maxim of ‘Invest in youth and sports to invest for future‘, from 2005, KIIT & KISS are promoting sports, patronising sportspersons and creating sports infrastructure that has become a model for other universities in India to emulate. Very early, even during the struggling days of KIIT & KISS, Prof Samanta realised the importance of investment in sports, much like the Universities in western countries. KIIT and KISS have the highest sports infrastructure of international standard at one place, just next to none. Ironically, it is all ideated, implemented and monitored by Prof. Samanta who did not have the luxury of playing any game or sports. At KIIT & KISS, the sports persons are provided with the right atmosphere to train and compete well.

Achyuta Samanta for Sports

KIIT & KISS Sports 

KIIT has a huge athletic stadium, a cricket stadium and a hockey/football stadium with 20,000, 30,000 and 5000-8000 seating capacity respectively. KIIT also has state-of-the-art Archery and Rugby playing fields. Besides these, there are 16 sports complexes that have one Olympic size swimming pool, 15 practice pools, 15 high performance gyms, etc. People appreciate it and express that the highest international level sports infrastructure is available in premises of KIIT & KISS. The facilities and infrastructure for all the events of the Olympics are available in university. Sports of national and some of International level are hosted at KIIT & KISS, because of all facilities available in one place. Huge comfortable luxury accommodations and an attached 2500 bedded multi-speciality hospital is available in the campus, which makes it conducive for hosting such big multi disciplinary events like 1st Khelo India University Games 2020 (17 disciplines) in which had 32 events and 25th All India Forest Sports Meet 2020 (23 disciplines) took place at KIIT & KISS back to back between February-March 2020. KIIT & KISS have the distinction of successfully hosting numerous National and International Games over the years to its credit.

Over 300 sports personnel under different heads work under the Department of Sports, KIIT & KISS. It is an empowered and decentralised wing that works towards all endeavours related to sports, conduct of events, management of the facilities, training of the students and specialised practice for the athletes and sportspersons. Juana Murmu, Purnima Hembram and Amiya Mallick (Athletics), Sumitra Nayak, Hupi Majhi, Munna Murmu (Rugby), Rutuparna Panda (Badminton), GM Swayams Mishra, Saina Salonika and Aprajita Gocchhikar (Chess), Mandakini Majhi (Khokho), Sriyanka Sadangi (Shooting), Ranjit Nayak (Archery) are few talented sportspersons that KIIT has produced, thanks to availability of best coaches, nutrition and training at the campus.

 

KISS, on the other hand, has produced 5000+ tribal athletes of which 200+ have participated and won in the international level and the rest have played school level, college level and state level. Investment in sports at KISS has significant development payoffs and contributes to ushering in gender equality. The academic commitments are seamlessly stewn in between their training and the students don’t miss on any aspect. Infact, Samanta says, ‘Play while you learn and Learn while you Play’. If Odisha is the hub of sports talent in India, KIIT & KISS is at the core of convergence of sporting prowess.

Prof. Samanta has promoted many sports especially Rugby and Chess from scratch in Odisha and placed KIIT & KISS, Odisha and India in the world map with regards to conduct of those sports. KISS is the only institution in India to integrate Chess into its academic curriculum. It is an associate sponsor of Rugby India. Both the institutions, KIIT & KISS have also aimed at making Sports inclusive by establishing 10 sports academies for talented sportspersons of the state & outside the state and made it not just an urban-affair, under the guidance of their simple down to earth founder, who has never forgotten to give back to his motherland. They have also promoted sports in rural areas like Volleyball in Kandhamal, Phulbani & Boudh and Chess in Kalarabanka. Without basking on the glory of the past, Prof. Samanta and his team is constantly and dedicatedly working to send 10 students to the 2024 Olympics. Now, the world recognises the silent contribution of Odisha in the field of Sports in India, similarly, KIIT and KISS as universities, will be known as the background to rich indian sporting history.

Over 300 sports personnel under different heads work under the Department of Sports, KIIT & KISS. It is an empowered and decentralised wing that works towards all endeavours related to sports, conduct of events, management of the facilities, training of the students and specialised practice for the athletes and sportspersons. Juana Murmu, Purnima Hembram and Amiya Mallick (Athletics), Sumitra Nayak, Hupi Majhi, Munna Murmu (Rugby), Rutuparna Panda (Badminton), GM Swayams Mishra, Saina Salonika and Aprajita Gocchhikar (Chess), Mandakini Majhi (Khokho), Sriyanka Sadangi (Shooting), Ranjit Nayak (Archery) are few talented sportspersons that KIIT has produced, thanks to availability of best coaches, nutrition and training at the campus.

KISS, on the other hand, has produced 5000+ tribal athletes of which 200+ have participated and won in the international level and the rest have played school level, college level and state level. Investment in sports at KISS has significant development payoffs and contributes to ushering in gender equality. The academic commitments are seamlessly stewn in between their training and the students don’t miss on any aspect. Infact, Samanta says, ‘Play while you learn and Learn while you Play’. If Odisha is the hub of sports talent in India, KIIT & KISS is at the core of convergence of sporting prowess.

Prof. Samanta has promoted many sports especially Rugby and Chess from scratch in Odisha and placed KIIT & KISS, Odisha and India in the world map with regards to conduct of those sports. KISS is the only institution in India to integrate Chess into its academic curriculum. It is an associate sponsor of Rugby India. Both the institutions, KIIT & KISS have also aimed at making Sports inclusive by establishing 10 sports academies for talented sportspersons of the state & outside the state and made it not just an urban-affair, under the guidance of their simple down to earth founder, who has never forgotten to give back to his motherland. They have also promoted sports in rural areas like Volleyball in Kandhamal, Phulbani & Boudh and Chess in Kalarabanka. Without basking on the glory of the past, Prof. Samanta and his team is constantly and dedicatedly working to send 10 students to the 2024 Olympics. Now, the world recognises the silent contribution of Odisha in the field of Sports in India, similarly, KIIT and KISS as universities, will be known as the background to rich indian sporting history.