Odisha plans to open up to 89 new athletic venues, including 47 weightlifting-specific facilities distributed around the state. According to reports, the stadiums’ recent construction would encourage athletes to compete in sports like swimming and athletics in competitions that will eventually serve as a stepping stone for national championships. The goal is to create more athletes of national reputation after producing winners like Katulu Ravi Kumar, who won the Commonwealth gold medal in 2010, and JhilliDalabehera, who broke numerous records at the Tashkent-hosted 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships.