TSAF Hosts East Zone Climbing Championship, Opens Pathway to National Competition
By Payal Banerjee
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 30 : The IMF East Zone Climbing Championship 2026, organised by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) at the Odisha TSAF Climbing High-Performance Centre (HPC), Bhubaneswar, in association with the Department of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS), Government of Odisha, and Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) Climbing Academy, concluded successfully on October 30.
Athletes from the TSAF ecosystem delivered an outstanding performance, winning 53 of the 54 medals contested at the championship. Of these, 48 medals were secured by TSAF Climbing Academy athletes, while the Odisha TSAF Climbing HPC athletes won five medals.
Established in 2024, the Odisha HPC has made encouraging progress, with four athletes qualifying for the National Championship this year and winning five medals, compared to just one Odisha qualifier over the previous two years. This marks a significant step in TSAF’s efforts to nurture local talent and strengthen sport climbing in the state.
The five medals won by Odisha TSAF Climbing HPC athletes included: Subhransu Sekhar Mahunta: Bronze in Lead and Silver in Bouldering, Rajendra Nayak: Bronze in Bouldering, Swati Behera: Bronze in Speed, Dusmanta Kumar Hembram: Bronze in Lead.
Commenting on the championship, Mukul Vinayak Choudhari, Chief Sports, Tata Steel Limited, said, “Competitions like these give young climbers a platform to showcase their talent, build confidence and aim higher. We remain committed to nurturing emerging talent and helping athletes from eastern India progress to the national stage and beyond.”
Sharing his experience, Subhransu Sekhar Mahunta said, “The climb was a personal test of courage and perseverance. Successfully emerging out of it feels life-altering. I thank the organisers for helping athletes strive for excellence.”
TSAF has supported the growth of sport climbing in India since launching its programme in 2015. Through structured coaching, training facilities and competitive opportunities at its Jamshedpur and Bhubaneswar academies, it continues to nurture aspiring climbers. It has also hosted the IFSC Asian Kids Climbing Championships in 2022 and 2023, the IFSC Asian Youth Climbing Championship in 2024, and six editions of the Tata Steel Sport Climbing Championship.
The concluding ceremony was attended by Shri Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Odisha; Dr. Yeddula Vijay, Director; Shri Ashok Kumar Panda, Special Secretary; Shri Bijay Kumar Swain and Shri Sudhakar Naik, Additional Secretaries, Department of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Odisha; and Shri Debdas Nandy, Advisor, Mountaineering, Department of Sports and Youth Services, Government of West Bengal.
Tata Steel and its group companies were represented by Padmapal, Managing Director, Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL); Ravi Marik, Chief, Corporate Services, Kalinganagar, Tata Steel; and Mohit Das, Chief Resident Executive, Bhubaneswar, Tata Steel, among others.
