Rourkela, May 5: Training camps for various sports, organised by the Rourkela Steel Plant, started today on the Delhi Public School ground here. The camp is in its 30th year.

At least 542 participants have registered for the camp and the number may increase. Deputy general manager of sports, Rourkela Steel Plant, Minati Mohapatra, who was also the first woman to win the Arjun Award for the state, said: "This year, the inaugural event has been shifted to the school ground as the Ispat Stadium is under renovation. However, all events will not take place here. There are other venues."

The badminton and table tennis camps are being held at the indoor stadium as usual. The kabaddi camp is also being conducted there. "Every year we have different venues for different games. This year, the venues have increased in number," said Mohapatra while delivering the inaugural address.

Mohapatra also said: "As all the major schools are conducting their own camps, you may not see much participation at the initial stage. The number will go up once those camps get over by June 12." Every year, around 1,300 to 1,400 sports enthusiasts take part in the camp, mostly in the junior category.

Inaugurating the camp, medical and health services director-in-charge A.K. Singh stressed on the importance of sports in everyone's life. "Along with the mental activities such as reading, sports are also very important. Without sports, life becomes dull and the body becomes week and vulnerable to illness."

This time, the RSP will hold the cricket camp at Rising Club field. The football camp will be held on the Ispat Vidyalaya ground. The athletics camp has been shifted to the Hockey Academy complex at Sector-5 near Archery Training Centre. The hockey stadium will host the hockey camp as usual. The basketball and volleyball camps will be held at their respective complexes. The boxing and other weight games camps have also been shifted to the hockey stadium.

However, the chess camp will be conducted at the academy complex inside the Ispat Stadium, as that part is not undergoing renovation.

Former national junior 100m champion P.K. Thakur said: "The current state junior girl's 200m and 400m champion Rima Mohanty and Suresh Lakra, the state junior boy's 1,500m and 5,000m champion, are finds of this camp."

Ashis Patra, a national prospect in 100 metres and long jump, was also a find from this camp.

At present, two more protégés of the hockey camp - Anand Lakra and Janam Majhi - are in the national junior squad. "Anand's technique is more like his idol Dillip Tirkey," said Hockey Academy coach Peter Tirkey, who is the first Odia from a tribal community to play in the national team.

This year, the Archery Academy has shown enthusiastic response. There are 35 cadets who have joined the sports camp.

Around 15 girls, all from tribal communities, are taking part in the volleyball camp. "I have loved the game since I started playing and I am here because of that," said Nilima, a participant.