- ~Six men and two women from Odisha Naval Tata Hockey HPC represent India~
- ~Team Captain Anmol Ekka named top scorer, Vivek Lakra best goalkeeper~
Bhubaneswar, September 15, 2026: The Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (ONTHHPC), Bhubaneswar, saw eight of its cadets represent India at the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Junior Asia Cup 2026 in Moqi, China, contributing to the country’s gold medal-winning campaigns in both the junior men’s and women’s competitions.
Six ONTHHPC cadets featured in the Indian junior men’s squad, Captain Anmol Ekka, Adrohit Ekka, Vivek Lakra, Aryan Xess, Sanjit Tirkey and Rohit Kullu. Engil Harsharani Minz and Supriya Kunwar represented India in the junior women’s squad. Both Indian teams delivered outstanding performances to reach the summit of Asian junior hockey, with the ONTHHPC contingent playing a key role in the nation’s success.
The tournament also brought individual recognition for ONTHHPC, with captain Anmol Ekka finishing as the top scorer with 17 goals, while goalkeeper Vivek Lakra was named Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament for his consistent performances throughout the competition.
The achievement further strengthens ONTHHPC’s contribution to India’s junior and senior national teams and underlines the depth of hockey talent being developed in Odisha.
Commenting on the achievement, Captain Amitabh, CEO, Hockey Ace Foundation, said: “Seeing eight of our cadets represent India and contribute to gold medal-winning campaigns at the Junior Asia Cup is a proud moment for everyone at the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey HPC and Hockey Ace Foundation. Anmol and Vivek’s individual honours make the achievement even more special. Their success reflects their hard work and discipline, as well as the quality of the high-performance pathway created for young hockey players in Odisha.”
He added, “Our focus is to provide young athletes with the coaching, facilities and support they need to compete at the highest level. Achievements such as these reinforce that vision and inspire the next generation of players.”
The Hockey Ace Foundation, a joint initiative of Tata Steel and Tata Trusts, in partnership with the Government of Odisha, operates the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar and the Naval Tata Hockey Academy in Jamshedpur. The initiative focuses on developing hockey talent through structured coaching, high-performance training, tactical analysis and holistic athlete development.
The success of the eight cadets at the Junior Asia Cup marks another milestone in ONTHHPC’s efforts to develop athletes capable of representing India at the international level.
