Chennai: Olympian Pranati Nayak, who trains at the Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre (Odisha AM/NS GHPC) in Bhubaneswar, has been selected to represent India at the 20th Asian Games 2026, scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.
Pranati is the only Indian gymnast selected for the Asian Games and will compete in the Women’s Vault and Women’s All-Around events in Artistic Gymnastics.
Her selection follows a strong run of performances, including a silver medal in the Women’s Vault at the FIG World Challenge Cup 2026 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Ashutosh Telang, Director & Vice President – HR & Administration, AM/NS India, said, “Pranati’s selection as India’s sole gymnast for the Asian Games is a significant achievement and reflects her consistency, discipline and determination. At the Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre, our focus is on providing athletes with the training and support required to compete at the highest level. We wish Pranati the very best as she represents India in Aichi-Nagoya.”
Pranati represented India at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and has consistently delivered strong performances at national and international competitions. In 2026, she won silver at the FIG World Challenge Cup in Tashkent and gold at the 54th All India Railway Gymnastics Championship, besides representing India at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
In 2025, she won bronze at the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the FIG Apparatus World Cup, and secured one gold, one silver and one bronze at the 38th National Games. She has also won multiple medals at national championships and international FIG events over the past few years.
The Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar supports the development of high-performance gymnasts through specialised coaching, training infrastructure and athlete support, with the objective of enabling Indian athletes to compete successfully at national and international levels.
About Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre:
ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) has partnered with the Government of Odisha to promote and grow the sport of gymnastics in India and transform Odisha into a premier gymnastics excellence hub. Started in 2023, the ‘Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre’ (Odisha AM/NS GHPC), a facility housed in the Kalinga Stadium, is meant for talented athletes participating in the ‘Elite Gymnastics Programme’. Additionally, it includes three ‘Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics Grassroot Centres’ which help identify and nurture young athletes across the state. AM/NS India, through its CSR initiative ‘Udaan,’ trains 450 gymnasts annually, providing them with top-notch coaching by international and national gymnastics experts.
The athletes of the Odisha AM/NS GHPC have been achieving laurels at prestigious international and national platforms such as the International Continental Cup 2026 in Lisbon, the Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championship 2025, the FIG World Cup 2025 in Antalya, Turkey, and the Artistic Gymnastics National Championships 2025–2026. The athletes have won more than 400 medals in national and international events to date, showcasing the Centre’s consistent performance and readiness for the global stage. The comprehensive program offers athletes not only international and national exposure but also academic support, laying the foundation for skilled coaches, trainers, and support staff preparing gymnasts to compete at the highest global level. It collaborates closely with leading sports bodies such as the Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI), Sports Authority of India (SAI), and Odisha Gymnastics Association (OGA). With advanced sports science facilities, dedicated nutrition and wellness support, and structured talent identification camps, the Odisha AM/NS GHPC ensures holistic athlete development. Beyond training, the centre also serves as a preferred venue for national and international events, including FIG Coaches’ Training Programs, National Championships, and specialized camps, thereby positioning the Centre as a recognized hub of excellence in global gymnastics.
About ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India:
ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) is a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, two of the world’s leading steel manufacturing organisations. A leading integrated flat carbon steel producer in India, the company has a crude steel capacity of 9 million tonnes per annum with state-of-the-art downstream facilities. It produces a fully diversified range of flat steel products, including value-added steel, and has a pellet capacity of 20 million tonnes. The company is also setting up an 8.2 million tonnes per annum integrated steel plant in Andhra Pradesh. ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India currently stands as the only integrated steel company in the country to have received the Green Steel Certificate from the Ministry of Steel.
