How KIIT and KISS Became Sports Powerhouses

KIIT - Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology and KISS- Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, Odisha, India, are the two names synonymous with excellence in sports and have developed a model of sporting excellence that has become an example for other universities to learn, follow, and implement. With the success of the kind that KIIT and KISS have seen in terms of sports, one would assume that the Founder of these institutions either came from a rich pedigree or was a sportsman. It is hard to believe that this model has been ideated, created, curated, and catalyzed by a person who was born in poverty, raised in poverty by his widowed mother with seven siblings, lost his father at the age of four in the remote village of Kalarabanka in Odisha in the 1970s. Sports were never in his remotest thoughts.

The same person grew up to start two educational institutions, KIIT and KISS, at the age of 25 with just 100 US dollars at that time in 1992-93. He has always focussed on cthe reation of sports infrastructure since its inception. KIIT and KISS together have 17 sports complexes, Olympic-size swimming pools, an athletics stadium, archery grounds, a cricket stadium, rugby and hockey stadiums named after legends, and India’s first and only velodrome within a university campus. These facilities are complemented by a 2600-bed hospital, ensuring world-class medical support for athletes, training on campus or coming to play. However, just the infrastructure doesn’t guarantee success. KIIT and KISS nurture sports talent by providing free education, training, scholarships, and international exposure. Many athletes are identified at a young age, provided with rigorous training, and given academic support to ensure holistic development. Over 5000 sportspersons have been nurtured at KISS, with 1500 competing at national and international levels across 32 sporting disciplines. The vision for the 2028 Olympics and beyond is ambitious yet attainable, with 10-15 students from KISS anticipated to compete, reinforcing its reputation as a cradle for future champions.

KIIT and KISS have hosted numerous important tournaments, setting a benchmark in sports excellence. These institutions have successfully organized prestigious events, including the FIFA Football for Schools Programme, the KISS FIVB Volleyball Foundation Festival, the 1st Khelo India University Games, the 25th All India Forest Sports Meet, and the first-ever Janjatiya Khel Mahotsav in 2023. Over the years, KIIT and KISS have nurtured 21 Olympians, 3 Paralympians, 11 Arjuna Awardees, and 1 Khel Ratna Awardee, along with 5000+ athletes who have brought glory to India at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and various other international and national championships. KIIT and KISS are nodal centers for the FIFA Football for Schools Programme and the FIVB Volleyball for All Programme in South Asia. KIIT received the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2022 from the Government of India. The institutions have been awarded the Sportstar Award (2022, 2025), FICCI India Sports Award, CII Sports Business Award (2023), and Biju Patnaik Award for sports promotion. Prof. Achyuta Samanta was awarded the FIVB Grand Cross, the highest honor in volleyball, recognizing his grassroots promotion of the sport in India including the term when he was the president of the Volleyball Federation of India. KIIIT and KISS have been chronicled in Guinness World Records for the largest volleyball exhibition match in 2024.

Prof. Samanta has played a key role in fostering sports like Rugby, Kho-Kho, and Chess in Odisha, helping KIIT & KISS, as well as the state and country, gain global recognition in hosting these sports. KISS is the only institution in India to integrate Chess into its academic curriculum. It is also an associate sponsor of Rugby India. Both KIIT & KISS have also aimed at making Sports more inclusive by establishing 10 sports academies for talented sportspersons in and around Odisha. The institutions have also introduced sports in rural areas. Every year around 1.5 lakh sportspersons, coaches and managers come to KIIT and KISS to participate in the various tournaments and training camps hosted by the institutions.

Believing in the philosophy that investing in youth and sports is investing in the future, he aspires to double all stadiums and sports complexes seeing the fruits of his work. If more institutions adopt this model of right support that can turn talent into champions, India’s rise in the global sporting arena will be unstoppable.