Odisha Govt Initiates Probe into Abuse Allegations at Kalinga Stadium Swimming Centre

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has formed an inquiry committee to investigate allegations of physical and mental abuse at the High Performance Swimming Centre in Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. The decision comes after swimmers at the sports hostel staged a protest on Saturday night, alleging misconduct by head coach Sandeep Sejwal.

The Sports and Youth Services Department announced the formation of a four-member committee comprising Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Panda, Deputy Secretary Amit Kumar Nayak, OSD Sonali Chand, and Under Secretary Rupanwita Panda. The panel has been instructed to submit a factual report at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the department has suspended head coach Sandeep Sejwal from his position in the JSW-IIS swimming programme pending the outcome of the probe. Sejwal, a 2008 Beijing Olympian and 2014 Asian Games bronze medallist, has been serving as the centre’s chief coach since its inception.

The controversy erupted after swimmers at the hostel refused dinner on Saturday night, demanding immediate action against the alleged misconduct. They accused Sejwal of mocking students from underprivileged backgrounds, using sexist slurs, and physically intimidating them.

According to one of the swimmers, high-performing athletes were deliberately sidelined and subjected to physical assault and verbal abuse by the coaching staff. “Students who perform well are removed from the group. The coaches then call them separately and physically assault them for no reason. Even the support staff uses extremely foul language,” a trainee alleged.

Reacting to the accusations, Sejwal refused to comment on the matter, stating, “The committee is already investigating the allegations. I would not like to make any further comments.”

Established in 2022, the High Performance Swimming Centre at Kalinga Stadium has been instrumental in training around 50 young swimmers from across Odisha. Under Sejwal’s guidance, Odisha secured its first-ever swimming gold medal at the National Games in the 4×100 medley relay, along with five bronze medals in individual events at the 2025 National Games in Uttarakhand.