Meramandali,swa news : Reaffirming its commitment to supporting young sports talent, Tata Steel Foundation continues to strengthen its efforts through community-based coaching and engagement. Several young volleyball players trained at its Grassroots Centre and Youth Development Centre in Dhenkanal have been selected to represent Odisha in the 69th School Games Federation of India (SGFI) National Championships 2025–26, marking another step forward in the Foundation’s work to nurture rural talent.
The SGFI Championships, one of the key national platforms for school athletes, will see five players trained under TSF’s volleyball program take part this year. Four athletes have been chosen for the Under-17 School National Volleyball Championship in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh (November 11–15), while one player will represent Odisha in the Under-19 Council Volleyball Championship in Godarwar, Madhya Pradesh (November 13–17).
Coming from villages across Dhenkanal and Angul, these young players have worked hard to reach the national level. Among them are RinkiSahu from PaikaPurunaKote, RojalinNaik from Talbahal and BidusmitaNayak from Badibahal, who will compete in the Under-17 Girls category at Bareilly. SubhadeepBehera from PaikaPurunaKote will play in the Under-17 Boys category, while SoumyaRanjanSamal from Charadagadia will represent Odisha in the Under-19 Boys event in Madhya Pradesh.
Since starting in 2022, the Grassroots Centre (for ages 8–12) and Youth Development Centre (for ages 13–16) have focused on identifying and training young players from rural areas. With regular coaching, mentoring, nutrition support and participation in tournaments, the program has trained over 680 players, including 120 girls. In just a few years, around 30 players from these centres have competed in national-level tournaments, and two athletes have reached the Junior India Camp, showing steady progress and growing confidence among the young players.
Sharing her excitement, RinkiSahu, who has captained her team in two national events, said, “This is a dream come true for me. Training under Tata Steel Foundation has given me the confidence and discipline to perform at this level. I want to make my village and coaches proud by giving my best in the tournament.”
Beyond sports training, TSF’s program aims to help young people build life skills such as discipline, teamwork and self-belief, while creating links to state and national opportunities. By making quality coaching accessible in remote areas, the Foundation continues to help children from small villages grow through sports.
The success of these volleyball players reflects Tata Steel Foundation’s long-term vision of using sports as a catalyst for empowerment and social transformation, proving that with the right guidance and opportunity, Odisha’s villages can produce athletes who shine brightly on national platforms.
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For queries and information
Sarvesh Kumar,Chief Corporate Communications, Tata Steel, sarvesh.kumar@tatasteel.com
About Tata Steel
- Tata Steel group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 35 million tonnes per annum.
- It is one of the world’s most geographically diversified steel producers, with operations and commercial presence across the world.
- The group recorded a consolidated turnover of around US$26 billion in the financial year ending March 31, 2025.
- A Great Place to Work-CertifiedTMorganisation, Tata Steel Limited, together with its subsidiaries, associates, and joint ventures, is spread across five continents with an employee base of over 78,000.
- Tata Steel has announced its major sustainability objectives including Net Zero by 2045.
- The Company has been on a multi-year digital-enabled business transformation journey intending to be the leader in ‘Digital Steel making’. The Company has received the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse recognition for its Jamshedpur, Kalinganagar, and IJmuiden Plants. Tata Steel has also been recognised with the ‘Digital Enterprise of India – Steel’ Award 2024 by Economic Times CIO.
- The Company has been recognised with the World Economic Forum’s Global Diversity Equity & Inclusion Lighthouse 2023.
- The Company has been a part of the DJSI Emerging Markets Index since 2012 and has been consistently ranked among the top 10 steel companies in the DJSI Corporate Sustainability Assessment since 2016.
- Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur Plant is India’s first site to receive ResponsibleSteelTM Certification. Subsequently, its Kalinganagar and Meramandali plants have also received the certification. In India, Tata Steel now has more than 90% of its steel production from ResponsibleSteelTM certified sites.
- Received Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2016-17, 2025 Steel Sustainability Champion recognition from worldsteel for eight years in a row, 2023 Climate Change Leadership Award by CDP, Top performer in Iron and Steel sector in Dun & Bradstreet’s India’s top 500 companies 2022, Ranked as the 2024 most valuable Mining and Metals brand in India by Brand Finance, ‘Most Ethical Company’ award 2021 from Ethisphere Institute, and ‘Best Corporate for Promotion of Sports’ recognition at the Sportstar Aces Awards 2024.
- Received the 2023 Global ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) Award of Distinction at the RIMS ERM Conference 2023, ‘Masters of Risk – Risk Technology’ recognition at The India Risk Management Awards, and ICSI Business Responsibility and Sustainability Award 2023 for its first Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR), Excellence in Financial Reporting FY20 from ICAI, among several others.
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