17 KIIT students felicitated for participation in Paris Olympics, Paralympics 2024

NEW DELHI: 17 Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) students who participated in the Paris Olympics 2024 and Paralympics have been felicitated. Each student who represented India has been awarded a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh as recognition of their achievements in the international sports competitions. Among the athletes were 15 Olympians and 2 Paralympians. Special prizes were awarded to Amit Rohidas and Pravin Kumar for winning medals during the Olympics.

KIIT founder Achyuta Samanta led the celebratory event which showcased the achievements of the athletes and highlighted the role of sports in education. He emphasized that the athletes are the cornerstone of KIIT’s success in sports, citing the institution’s significant contribution to developing athletic talent. He expressed pride to have sent the largest contingent of athletes to the Olympics, with a total of 20 Olympians and 2 Paralympians emerging from the institute so far.

Olympics 2024: Participating athletes

The athletes who have been honoured include Amit Rohidas (hockey), Kishore Kumar Jena and Annu Rani (javelin throw), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), Parul Choudhary (5000m steeplechase), Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles), Priyanka (20km race walk), Prachi and MR Poovamma (4x400m relay), Paramjeet Singh Bisht, Akshdeep Singh, and Vikash Singh (20km race walk), Ankita (5000m run), Rampal and Praveen Kumar (para-athletes in high jump), among others.

The event also recognized athletes who recently won medals at the 2024 South Asian Championship and the state-level weightlifting championships.

Amit Rohidas shared his gratitude, recalling the founder’s encouragement to compete without stress. “KIIT and KISS have one of the best infrastructures for sports, unmatched anywhere in India,” he said.

The programme was attended by notable figures, including Odisha’s star athletes such as Dutee Chand, Anuradha Biswal, and others. Gaganendu Dash, director of the sports and yoga department at KIIT introduced the athletes. Upendra Mohanty, advisor, KIIT and KISS Sports was also present.

KIIT vice-chancellor professor Saranjit Singh, pro-VC Debashis Bandyopadhyay and other dignitaries praised Samanta’s efforts in fostering an environment conducive to athletic excellence.

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