Odisha Olympic Association (OOA) has released a list of 73 support staff, accompanying the 300-member Odisha contingent for the 38th National Games, which commenced in Uttarakhand today. OOA joint-secretary Ashok Kumar Sahu is leading the Odisha contingent as Chef de Mission. The support staff includes coaches, managers and physiotherapists.

Woman Olympian Anuradha Biswal and rugby international Shanawaz Ahmed were the flag-bearers of the Odisha contingent at the opening ceremony, which took place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

LIST OF ODISHA SUPPORT STAFF (Coaches, managers & physios):

Aquatics (5): Douglas Blennerhasset Eagar, Meenu, Sandeep  Sejwal, Jayashree Palai, Dipankar Das.
Archery (2): Suryakant Maharana, Kapil Kumar Verma.
Athletics (4): Dr Lipsa Ray, Guru Prasad Pattnaik, SV Karthikeyan, Sanjay Kumar Garnaik.
Boxing (2): Padmanava Patra, Anjan Das.
Cycling (3): Sunil Kumar Sahu, Mitanjali Nayak, Manoranjan Barik.
Football (5): Ranjita Mohanty, Lopamudra Maharaj, Gayatri Mallick, Gomati Bara, Gitanjali Khuntia.
Gymnastics (3): Maimuna Banoo, Shinoj Muliyil, Ramesh Chandra Behera.
Hockey (8): Brinda Bharati, Resma Lakra, Tej Kumar Xess, Pradeep Kumar Sarangi, Bibhudutta Behera, Peter Soreng, Sushil Kumar Kiro, Bijay Kumar Lakra.
Judo (1): Lopamudra Pati.
Kayaking & Canoeing (4): Rajkumar Nishad, Nazis Mansoori, Dalip Singh Beniwal, Laishram Johnson Singh.
Kho-Kho (6): Dr Girindra Kumar Sahoo, Amreen Hayat, Anil Laxman Ganjave, Priyanka  Sing, Suryanarayan Jena, Debi Prasad Das.
Lawn Bowl (3): Prashant Suna, Pitambar Banchhor, Anwesha Rout.
Lawn Tennis (1): Jaimin Dilipkumar Mehta.
Modern Pentathlon (3): Reena Rashmi Tirkey, Rasmi Ranjan Nayak, Basudeba Ojha.
Rowing (3): Urwashi Dubey, Mujeeb Rahman Kolakkodan, Inderpal Singh.
Rugby Sevens (6): Shibashish Pati, Ajay Kumar Pradhan, Muna Murmu, Soumyasri Mishra, Sumitra Nayak, Dhiren Kumar Rout.
Shooting (1): Ashish Nayak.
Taekwondo (2): Jayakrushna Parida, Shaik Abdul Rafique.
Triathlon (1): Raiguru Manas Mohapatra.
Beach Volleyball (2): Sangeeta Toppo, Suparna Hota.
Weightlifting (2): Katila Venkatalakshmi, Jangya Narayana Nanda.
Wrestling (2): Laxmi Prasad Pattanayak, Ambalika Jena.
Wushu (2): Bhagwat Prashad, Pruthwiraj Harichandan.
Yogasana (1): Dr Alok Kumar Swain.
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PHOTO: Ashok Kumar Sahu (2nd from right), the Chef de Mission of the Odisha contingent poses with the OOA flag at the opening ceremony of the 38th National Games in Dehradun, Uttarakhand on 28 January 2025.