KOLKATA: After working with the Indian women’s team last month, former Indian drag-flicker and Olympic bronze-medalist Rupinder Pal Singh is conducting a drag-flicking camp for the cadets of Panposh Sports Hostel, Hockey High Performance Centre and SAI Sundargarh at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
The camp, which is being organized by Odisha Sports and Youth Services Department in collaboration with Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre and Hockey Association of Odisha, began on Friday and it will go on till August 3.
Speaking about the camp, Rupinder, who announced his retirement last year, said, “This camp is a great initiative. It is an opportunity for me to pass on my knowledge, skill and experience to young players in Odisha. The camp will focus on drag flicking but also on technical, physical and mental aspects of the game.”
As many as 31 players, boys and girls, belonging to the senior, junior and sub junior categories, are taking part in the camp and they have been divided into eight groups.
While the main purpose of the camp is to provide a comprehensive training experience to the attendees, the secondary goal is to ensure holistic development of the players. To make sure that happens, the programme will comprise psychological testing and preparation to help players stay focused and confident during high-pressure situations.
Rupinder, who played in 223 matches and scored as many as 119 goals, meanwhile, was full of praise of the sports ecosystem of the state which has played host to numerous sporting events in recent years.
“I had come to Bhubaneswar in 2020, however, there has been even more development since then, there are state-of-the-art facilities for players from the state. The hockey program is very modern with a great focus on sports science, nutrition and psychology,” said Rupinder in a statement.
Besides this camp, there’s also a plan to host a camp for strikers next month and it will be conducted by none other than Rani Rampal, who led the Indian women’s team to the last-four stage at Tokyo Olympics.
