Achyuta Samanta Elected First President Of Indian UniSport Federation
Recognised by the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports, the federation aims to strengthen university sports, ensure transparent governance and expand opportunities for young athletes.
Bhubaneswar: Dr. Achyuta Samanta has been unanimously elected the first president of the Indian UniSport Federation (IUSF) at its inaugural annual general meeting in New Delhi on Sunday.
After his election, Samanta, the founder KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, called for collective efforts to prepare Indian athletes for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in India and urged stakeholders to work towards realising the Prime Minister’s vision for sports development.
Recognised by the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports, the federation aims to strengthen university sports, ensure transparent governance and expand opportunities for young athletes.
Samanta’s election comes against the backdrop of his efforts to build a comprehensive sports ecosystem at KIIT and KISS, featuring more than 30 sports facilities, professional coaching, sports science, nutrition, medical care and rehabilitation support.
As many as 24 athletes from the two institutions have represented India at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World University Games. KIIT has also served as India’s nodal university for the World University Games since Napoli 2019.
At the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, 54 students from KIIT and KISS represented India, winning 21 medals, including three gold, seven silver and 11 bronze.
Samanta previously served as president of the Volleyball Federation of India and currently heads the Odisha Volleyball Association. He is also associated with the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and has received its highest honour for his contribution to volleyball and chess.
