Odisha, formerly Orissa, is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the third-largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India. It neighbours the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south. Odisha has a coastline of 485 kilometres (301 mi) along the Bay of Bengal in Indian Ocean. The region is also known as Utkala and is mentioned by this name in India's national anthem, "Jana Gana Mana". The language of Odisha is Odia, which is one of the Classical Languages of India.
Association football is one of the three most-popular sports in India, the others being cricket and kabaddi. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recognises the Indian Super League as the national football league of India. The Santosh Trophy is a knock-out competition among Indian states and government institutions.
Bhubaneswar is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Odisha, located in the Khordha district. The region, especially the old town, was historically often depicted as Chakra Kshetra and Ekamra Kshetra. Bhubaneswar is dubbed the "Temple City", a nickname earned because of the 700 temples which once stood there. In contemporary times, it has emerged as an education hub and an attractive business destination.
Eastern India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The region roughly corresponds to the historical region of Magadha from which it inherits its various Eastern Indo-Aryan languages.
Dilip Tirkey, is a former captain of the Indian field hockey team, politician and sports administrator. He was awarded Padma Shree in 2004. Currently he is the president of Hockey India.
Indian Arrows was an Indian developmental football club that competed in the I-League. The club was formed by the All India Football Federation in 2010, with a main goal of nurturing young Indian football talents.
The Odisha football team is an Indian football team representing the state of Odisha, India. The Football Association of Odisha, a state association of All India Football Federation, controls the team. The team competes in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. Prior to 2014, the team competed as the Orissa football team.
Odisha Football Club ( ) is an Indian professional football club based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. Prior to the inaugural Indian Super League season, the club was founded as Delhi Dynamos Football Club. The club rebranded to Odisha Football Club, as it moved to its current base, the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The club is owned and operated by the Dubai-based company GMS Leadership and Raj Athwal as the president of the club.
Sports is an important part of the culture of Odisha and plays a key role in development of the state. Field hockey, athletics, association football, cricket, weightlifting, rugby union and rugby sevens are among the most popular sports in the Indian state of Odisha. Odisha is also known as the Sports Capital of India. The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack are among the major stadiums in the state.
The 2017 Asian Athletics Championships was the 22nd edition of the Asian Athletics Championships. It was held from 6 to 9 July 2017 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India. Bhubaneswar was the third Indian city to host Asian Championships. Around 560 athletes from 41 countries attended the event.
The 2019 Gold Cup was a 4-team association football tournament held at the Kalinga Stadium in the Indian city of Bhubaneswar between 9 and 15 February 2019. The tournament was being organized by the All India Football Federation in association with Government of Odisha, as part of the senior women's team's preparation for AFC 2020 Olympic Qualification - Second Round.
The 2019–20 Indian Super League season was the sixth season of the Indian Super League, one of the top Indian professional football leagues. The regular season began on 20 October 2019 and concluded on 14 March 2020.
Khelo India University Game is a national level multi-sport event held in India, where athletes from universities across the country compete in different sports disciplines. The inaugural edition held in Odisha started on 22 February and concluded on 1 March 2020. It is organised by Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports along with Association of Indian Universities, Indian Olympic Association and National Sports Federation. It is the largest university level sports competition in India.
The 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was the 7th edition of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, the multinational–international women's youth football championship, contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA, since its inception in 2008. The tournament was hosted by India, which would have hosted the 2020 edition before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the second time that India have been hosting a FIFA tournament, after the men's 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the first time that India hosting a FIFA women's football tournament.
The 2022 SAFF U-20 Championship was the 4th edition of the SAFF U-20 Championship, an international football competition for men's under-18 national teams organized by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). India was the hosts of the tournament, held between 25 July and 5 August 2022.
The 2021–22 Indian Women's League was the fifth season of the Indian Women's League, the top division women's professional football league in India. The qualifying round was held from 1–5 April 2022 at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi. The final round was scheduled to kick-off from mid-April in Bhubaneswar, Odisha and continue till the last week of May. On 26 May, Gokulam Kerala successfully defended their title with a convincing win against Sethu in a title decider on the last matchday, and became the first club to do it.
Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (ONTH-HPC) is a professional field hockey institute located at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. It was launched on 13 August 2019 after Government of Odisha, Tata Steel & Tata Trusts joined hands to initiate a three-pronged program under the HPC banner of Government of Odisha. It is one of the 11 HPCs at the Kalinga Stadium which have been set up under the governance of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Commissioner Cum Secy Sports Shri Vineel Krishna, who have been very influential in development of sports in the state.
The 2023 Intercontinental Cup was the third edition of the Intercontinental Cup, a four-nation football tournament held at the Kalinga Stadium, in the Indian city of Bhubaneswar between the 9 to 18 June 2023. The tournament was organized by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). North Korea won the previous edition by a 1–0 victory over Tajikistan in the final in 2019. India became the champion of this edition after defeating Lebanon by 2–0 in the final. With two goals each, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Sunil Chhetri of India were joint-top scorers of the tournament. Sandesh Jhingan of India was awarded best player of the tournament.
The 2022–23 Santosh Trophy was the 76th edition of the Santosh Trophy, the premier competition in India for senior men's football teams representing their respective states/union territories and government institutions.
