BHUBANESWAR, India, Oct 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) of Bhubaneswar, in an unprecedented initiative, launched the world’s first FIFA Football for School program on KISS. Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, virtually launched the program on October 27, 2021.
Football for Schools (F4S) is an ambitious program run by FIFA around the world, which aims to contribute to the education, development and empowerment of around 700 million children.
At the launch of the programme, a result of a partnership between FIFA and KISS, Shri Patnaik said: “Investment in sports is investment in youth and the future.” Shri Patnaik, who has an unsurpassed track record in promoting sports in Odisha and across the country, congratulated KIIT and KISS for creating an ecosystem conducive to channeling the passion for sports over the past two decades.
Dr Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and KISS, has been in contact with the FIFA President for the past one and a half years for the FIFA Football for Schools program, which has been launched on KISS for the first time in the world.
The launch ceremony was presented virtually by Dr. Nik Gugger, Honorable MP, from Switzerland and by Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, while Dr. Samanta; Mr. Kushal Das, Secretary General – AIFF; Mr. Youri Djorkaeff, CEO – FIFA Foundation and other dignitaries were personally present.
Congratulating Dr. Samanta’s contributions to sports, Dr. Nik Gugger said: “This first and unprecedented initiative of the FIFA Football for Schools program in the world is a result of Dr. Samanta’s tireless contribution to the field of sports.”
Congratulating the Chief Minister of Odisha on his revolutionary initiatives in promoting sports, Mr Gianni Infantino stated: “We are delighted to see Football for Schools launched today in India, one of the first countries in the world where it was introduced.” Under Dr. Samanta’s guidance, KIIT and KISS have been creating sports infrastructure and supporting athletes since 2005.
“Under the visionary leadership of Shri Naveen Patnaik, Odisha became a sports center and Bhubaneswar a sports capital. He did not forget to nurture grassroots sports,” said Dr. Samanta. He pledged the full support of KIIT and KISS for the implementation of the program.
In the preparation phase, a three-day capacity building workshop – “Train the Trainer” was conducted by FIFA at KISS from 25 October, with the participation of 100 physical education teachers from Odisha and more than 100 football players from KIIT and KISS.
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