BALCO’s Decades-Long Commitment to Promoting Sports and Athletic Development
korba: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) has not only contributed to industrial excellence but has also woven sports into the fabric of its corporate culture. Since its inception, BALCO has created a sports culture that engages employees, their families, and the broader community—making ‘Sports’ a hallmark of its values and a unifying force within the company.
BALCO’s sports journey began in 1974, when the BALCO Ladies Club initiated the first-ever children’s sports competition, sparking enthusiasm for sports within the BALCO township. A popular cultural group, ‘Agradoot,’ organized a three-legged race celebrating Children’s Day in the schools within the region the same year. By 1976, BALCO invited participation from employees and their families by organizing indoor and outdoor games like couples’ tennis and badminton, setting the foundation for an inclusive sports culture. In a special segment, the BALCO Ladies Club also held a cycle rickshaw race, promoting sports while creating social awareness about energy conservation.
The year 1976 also marked an important milestone with the launch of BALCO’s annual sports meet, which gained popularity as BALCO’s “Mini Olympics.” The event saw participation from various divisions, including Smelter, Alumina, Administration, Construction, and CISF, who competed in sports such as the long jump, high jump, discus throw, shot put, relay races, and 100- and 800-meter races.
In 1977, Republic Day was set as the formal sports day, with the inclusion of new competitions such as football, volleyball, kabaddi, and cricket. The company also added a range of games such as the three-legged race, needle-and-thread race, musical chairs, and tug-of-war, to include the families of employees too. As it continued every year, BALCO introduced an innovative addition called the ‘Arithmetic Race’ to increase the sporting spirit among children, who summed up equations to win. It also later introduced ‘Winter Sports,’ expanding athletic activities, starting in 1982. Indoor sports such as carrom and chess were added to the list of competitions in the annual sports meet from 1986.
The company achieved several accolades in regional-level sports competitions back in the 1970s. In 1979, BALCO’s volleyball team achieved runner-up position at a tournament held by Cement Corporation of India in Akaltara. The company’s kabaddi team won the final shield in a tournament hosted by NTPC Korba in 1982, and by 1986, it had won several awards at regional competitions in Janjgir, Nawagarh, Sakti, and Salkhan regions. In a cricket tournament organized by the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board (MPEB) and Western Coalfields Limited, held in the financial year 1982-83, BALCO’s cricket team won the titles for ‘Man of the Match,’ ‘Best Batsman,’ and ‘Best Bowler’ among 23 participating teams.
From the 1980s, BALCO started hosting several regional competitions within BALCO Township. In 1984, the company organized a wrestling competition in Balconagar, involving 22 different units of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), from regions including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, and others. The event also featured a ‘Badakhana,’ fostering inter-unit camaraderie. The event later became a yearly feature for Balconagar.
In 1985, on Gandhi Jayanti, BALCO organized a regional football tournament with eight different teams, including National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Hasdeo Thermal Power Plant, BALCO, and Industrial Training Institute (ITI), further expanding its sports initiatives. It also introduced hockey and cricket tournaments that year, hosting teams from notable companies like Indo-Burma Petroleum Company Limited and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). BALCO Club, a popular cultural club of the company, hosted a regional table tennis competition in 1986, which continued for years. These tournaments marked a new phase of sports, fostering relationships and sportsmanship among industrial bodies within the region.
In 1989, BALCO expanded its outreach to nearby rural communities by organizing sports competitions in villages like Dondro, Bhadrapara, and Lalghat. These events featured a range of activities, including volleyball, kabaddi, high jump, shot put, javelin throw, and 200-meter races. Additionally, the company introduced regional competitions that reflected local traditions, such as the ‘Fugadi Race’—an energetic race with synchronized hopping or dancing movements popular in Chhattisgarh, the ‘Sack Race,’ where participants raced while hopping inside large sacks, the ‘Pot Race,’ where runners balanced pots while racing, and ‘Archery’—all designed to celebrate and promote regional sporting skills.
After disinvestment, BALCO sustained its dedication to sports by regularly organizing high-profile tournaments at Ambedkar Stadium. The stadium became a hub for events such as the All-India Hockey Tournament and, in 2013, the State-Level Girls’ Junior Kabaddi Tournament, reflecting BALCO’s commitment to empowering athletes. Today, the company’s teams actively participate in local tournaments like the KL Mehta and Urja Cup, continuing the spirit of sports. BALCO regularly organises inter-departmental cricket, volleyball, and football tournaments within the company. BALCO also continues to invest in sports within local communities, distributing sports kits to children in the nearby villages.
