16-member Odisha team to participate in Basketball National Championship

Bhubaneswar(By Abhishek Mohanty): A 16-member Odisha Basketball team with 7 female and 7 male athletes and 2 coaches left Bhubaneswar by flight on Monday to participate in the Special Olympics Bharat National Championship to be held at Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan from 2 to 6 September.  The Department of Sports & Youth Services, Government of Odisha provided the flight tickets from Bhubaneswar to Delhi. The team was given a warm send off at the Bhubaneswar airport by Namita Dehury, HR Head of Airports Authority of India (AAI), Bhubaneswar who also made arrangements for the food and seating together in the flight. 
Arpita Mohapatra, State Program Coordinator expressed gratitude for the support of the Sports Department especially the dynamic Secretary and the Director, Sports.

The team consists of athletes from Cuttack, Khordha, Bhadrak and Puri districts selected in the State Selection Trials held at Athagarh in August this year. 
Last night the team T Shirts were distributed to the athletes and coaches by the Secretary of Open Learning Systems, Dr. Pratap Rath along with SOB-Odisha Area Director, Prakash Rath, Treasurer, Suresh Khuntia and State Program Manager, Arpita Mohapatra. 

Dr. Rath also gave a pep talk to the team members and encouraged them to participate fully and not be bothered unduly about the results. Overnight stay of the outstation members were arranged at Open Learning Systems. The entire board of SOB-Odisha has wished success for the Odisha team. The team members are: Chumki, Nirlipta, Rajashree Mohapatra, Aridita Chakrabarty, Madhusmita Nayak, Adyasa Behera, Diptimayee Das, female athletes and Sarita Routray, coach, and Purna Jena, Santosh Mallick, Debasish, Sabyasachi Samal, Deepankar Rout, Bibhuti Jena, Biswajit Nayak, male athletes with Kalandi Charan Bhoi, coach.