Joda/ Barbie: Wushu athletes from Jindal Sports Hostel in Barbil, a tribal predominant region of Odisha, have achieved resounding success by winning two gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal at the prestigious 22nd Junior National Wushu Championship held in Patna from August 6th to 12th, 2023. The hostel has been established and run by the JSP Foundation, the social arm of Jindal Steel & Power (JSP), under the direct guidance and supervision of its chairperson, Shallu Jindal.
The victorious athletes who brought glory to Joda-Barbil and the JSP Foundation include Swetarani Mahanta (48kg Jr) – Gold Medalist, Babulu Munda (48kg youth) – Gold Medalist, Sumitra Munda (45kg jr.) – Silver Medalist, Prem Munda (48kg jr) – Silver Medalist, Raj Kumar Munda (52kg jr) – Bronze Medalist.
These remarkable achievements underscore the unwavering commitment of the JSP Foundation towards nurturing and empowering talented youth from disadvantaged communities.
Prashant Kumar Hota, president & Group Head (CSR) of Jindal Steel & Power, expressed his happiness about the athletes’ outstanding achievements and said, “The success of these athletes is a testament to the transformative power of sports and the collaborative efforts of the JSP Foundation. JSP Foundation, under the leadership of its chairperson, Shallu Jindal ji is dedicated to nurturing not only sporting excellence but also the holistic development of underprivileged youth of this tribal-dominant region. Besides, our flame of inspiration is Shri Naveen Jindal ji, the Chairman of JSP, who is an icon in the arena of athletics and sports in India.”
The JSP Foundation has been supporting and promoting youths of Keonjhar District to play Wushu & Kickboxing sports, forms of martial arts. The Foundation, in association with Odisha State Wushu Association, has been patronizing the Keonjhar District Wushu Team for more than a decade. The Foundation extends all infrastructural support to the team, like developing training centres, training facilities by national-level coaches, food & nutrition, and clothing & conveyance for the players. Besides Sweta Rani, during the past years, JSP Foundation groomed Babulu and Manju Munda, who have bagged silver and gold medals in International Wushu Tournaments held in Brazil, Brunei and Moscow.
JSP Foundation has been promoting more than 30,000 rural and tribal sports talents, in the country, in martial sports, women’s hockey, men’s hockey, women’s football, Kabadi, Khokho and Cricket.
