This prestigious award was presented to KIIT for its outstanding contribution to sports and games Source: KIIT
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar, has been recognized as the Best University for the Promotion of Sports at the 2025 Sportstar Aces Awards held in Mumbai. This prestigious award was presented to KIIT for its outstanding contribution to sports and games, reaffirming its status as a leading institution in sports promotion.
Remarkably, KIIT has received this honour for the second time, having previously won the award in 2022. Accepting the award, Dr Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT, KISS & KIMS, expressed his gratitude to Sportstar for bestowing this recognition on KIIT-DU once again. The jury for the award comprised legendary Indian sportspersons, including Sunil Gavaskar, MM Somaya, Viswanathan Anand, Aparna Popat, and Anjali Bhagwat.
KIIT and KISS have been pioneers in sports development, not only nurturing athletes but also promoting sports at the grassroots level. The institution has produced 23 Olympians, 3 Paralympians, 11 Arjuna Awardees, and one Khel Ratna Awardee, a remarkable feat that earned high praise from the jury.
As a premier institution, KIIT-DU has received numerous accolades for its contributions to sports. It was awarded "Best Sports Facility" at the inaugural CII Sports Business Awards 2023, the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2022 by the Government of India, the FICCI India Sports Award 2022, the Sportstar Aces Award 2022 by The Hindu and the Biju Patnaik Sports Award 2019 for Best Contribution to Sports Promotion by the Government of Odisha.
KIIT and KISS have created world-class sporting infrastructure and an elite panel of international coaches, fostering over 200 athletes who have represented India at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and other international events, winning numerous medals for the country. The institute has nurtured more than 5,000 athletes of regional, national, and international repute.