A Salute to Success: KIIT-KISS Honors the Exceptional Feats of Asian Games & World University Games 2023 Medal Winners

 KIIT, also known as Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, and KISS, which stands for Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, both located in Bhubaneswar, have been actively promoting various sports since their establishment. A number of students from these institutions recently took part in the 19th Asian Games, 2023 at Hangzhou, and the 31st World University Games, 2023 at Chengdu, China, and many of them achieved significant success, clinching multiple medals in these prestigious events. To acknowledge these outstanding achievements, KIIT and KISS jointly organized a grand felicitation ceremony.

During this ceremony, the gold medalists from both the Asian and World University Games were awarded a financial prize of Rs. 5 lakh each. Notable winners included Tajinderpal Singh Toor for Shot Put and Amit Rohidas for Hockey in the Asian Games. Silver medal winners received Rs. 3 lakh each, with Kishore Kumar Jena for Javelin Throw and Tejaswin Shankar for decathlon among the recognized names. Meanwhile, bronze medal winners at the World University Games were granted Rs. 2 lakh each, with athletes such as Priyanka for the 20km race walk team and Amlan Borgohain for the 200m category being acknowledged.

Distinguished personalities from the world of sports, including Anuradha Biswal, the first Olympian from Odisha, Shradhanjali Samantray, a seasoned footballer and coach of the Odisha Women’s Football team, the renowned sprinter Amiya Mallick, and the Olympian Dutee Chand, were present at the event to extend their felicitations to the medal winners. Also in attendance were other well-known figures such as Dr. Achyuta Samanta, the founder of KIIT-KISS, Upendra Mohanty, the Secretary of the Odisha Rugby Association, Dr. Gaganendu Dash, the Director-General of Sports at KIIT-KISS, and Prof Saranjit Singh, the Vice-Chancellor of KIIT-DU.

Dr. Achyuta Samanta, the founder of KIIT-KISS, expressed his admiration for the transformation in the sports landscape under the guidance of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He emphasized that both KISS and KIIT are committed to supporting sports enthusiasts in various ways, in alignment with the initiatives of the Odisha Government. He also proudly mentioned that these institutions have contributed to the development of around 15 Olympians and over 5,000 sports personalities, from the state to the international level.

Dr. Gaganendu Dash highlighted that 14 students from KIIT Deemed-to-be-University represented India in the Asian Games, 2023 at Hangzhou, China, and four of them clinched medals. Furthermore, 18 students from three universities in Odisha, including the 14 from KIIT, participated in the World University Games, 2023 in Chengdu, China, with two KIIT students securing bronze medals. Addressing the students during the ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Prof Saranjit Singh emphasized the necessity of incorporating advanced technology in sports coaching to facilitate better outcomes for aspiring athletes.