Vineel Krishna Ravella, an IAS officer from the Odisha cadre, has been appointed as the Joint Secretary of Sports Department under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, informed the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
The 2005-batch IAS officer will serve in this role for a period of five years. His appointment is part of a larger government reshuffle, with the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet approving the placement of 41 senior officers in various Joint Secretary-level positions.
Notably, Ravella played a significant role in establishing Odisha as a prominent sports hub in India. During his time in the Sports Department of the Odisha Government, the state successfully hosted the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cups in both 2018 and 2023, making Odisha the first state to host consecutive Hockey World Cups.
Beyond hockey, during his tenure as Sports Secretary, Odisha also hosted the Bhubaneswar leg of the U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 tournament. Furthermore, he oversaw the establishment of numerous High-Performance Centers (HPCs) across various disciplines, including hockey, football, weightlifting, swimming, shooting, badminton, athletics, and sports science.
In addition to these, 89 multi-purpose indoor stadiums were also constructed under his leadership, designed to serve both sporting and community needs, particularly during disasters.
