Bhubaneswar, Aug 3: Twelve athletes from the Odisha Police were felicitated on Monday for their outstanding performances in Wushu, Taekwondo, Karate, and Pencak Silat at national-level championships, bringing pride to both the force and the state.

The felicitation ceremony was held at the Commissionerate Police Headquarters in Bhubaneswar, where Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania presented awards to the medal winners in recognition of their achievements.

The athletes had excelled at the 11th All India Police Judo Cluster (2026–27) held in Hyderabad and the 5th Senior National India Taekwondo Poomsae Championship 2026 in Pune, securing several medals across different disciplines.

Congratulating the athletes, DGP Khurania praised their dedication, discipline and perseverance, saying their achievements had brought laurels to Odisha Police and the state. He expressed confidence that they would continue to excel in future national and international competitions. As a mark of appreciation, silver medallists received ₹4,000 each, while bronze medallists were awarded ₹3,000 each.

Among the notable performers were WC/27 Saswati Nayak, who won a silver medal in the All India Police Judo Cluster and a bronze medal at the Taekwondo National Championship; C/45 Satyaprakash Mohanty, who bagged two bronze medals; and WC/968 Bratati Biswaprava Pati, who secured both silver and bronze medals in the individual and team Karate events.

The ceremony was attended by senior police officers, including ADG (Law & Order) Sanjay Kumar and Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh, who encouraged the athletes to continue striving for excellence. Sports Officer Neelamadhab Swain coordinated the felicitation programme.