Odisha CM seeks global recognition for local games

Mumbai/Bhubaneswar: Seeking global recognition for local games, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Saturday said Odisha will continue to ensure that indigenous sports get their rightful place on the world stage.

Majhi said this in his keynote address at the WAVES (World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit) 2025, held at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai, a CMO release said.

Speaking at the special session titled ‘Indigenous Sports – From India to the Global Stage,’ the Chief Minister spotlighted the cultural, social, and global significance of India’s traditional sports.

“We will continue to work with the Government of India and global federations to ensure that indigenous sports get their rightful place on the world stage,” Majhi said.

Drawing from his own upbringing in Keonjhar, a tribal-dominated hinterland district of Odisha, the Chief Minister reflected on his early sporting experiences with ‘kabaddi’ and ‘kho-kho’. “These were more than games,” he said, adding that they were expressions of teamwork, resilience, and identity rooted in the soil of our communities.

Majhi informed the gathering that Odisha is the first state in India to establish a dedicated High-Performance Centre (HPC) for an indigenous sport like Kho Kho, in collaboration with a steel company.

This landmark initiative redefines the narrative around traditional sports, recognising them as professional disciplines worthy of structured training, infrastructure, and innovation, he said and highlighted the success of Odisha Juggernauts.

Odisha is the only state government-owned franchise in the Ultimate Kho Kho League, which won the league’s inaugural season in 2022, he said adding: “It stands as a testament to what focused support and strategic investment can achieve.”

Majhi further said: “As we say in Odisha, Khela re sanskruti achhi, sanskruti re asmita achhi (In our games lies our culture, and in our culture lies our identity.)”.

PTI

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