FOr the tribal majority of Odisha Hockey Palna Sundergarh district, where people are used to seeing a goat as a trophy in a rural tournament, hosting the men’s World Cup in Rourkela, the mega event jointly organized with Bhubaneswar, will be a dream chance to see the best among the teams Friday’s match. It took a benevolent decision from the Odisha government to sponsor the Indian national teams and then organize the World Cup in Bhubaneswar in 2018. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took a major decision of organizing it officially for the first time in two cities. , in 2023. The state government had to adopt a three-pronged approach to deal with logistical issues. It spent ₹260 crore to build a new stadium, which has a capacity of 20,000 spectators; built a 225-room five-star facility to accommodate players and officials; And prepared an airport for commercial flights at Rourkela within a limited time frame. The pandemic was a major hurdle, but the Odisha government was strong-willed. India will now become the first country to host the World Cup in consecutive editions and for the fourth time. Steel city Rourkela will be the fourth Indian city to host the event. Sundargarh was exposed to hockey by Christian missionaries in the 1860s. It has since gone on to produce top stars including former India captain and current Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey, Prabodh Tirkey, Lazarus Barla, William Zalczo, Birender Lakra, Jyoti Sunita Kullu, Subhadra Pradhan and Deep Grace Ekka. Have come a long way. Now in the district, two of his sons – vice-captain Amit Rohidas and Neelam Sanjeep Zess – will see Sport India on their turf.
For the first time in four decades, India head into the World Cup as Olympic medalists after their 2021 bronze win in Tokyo. The hunger for success will be intense as India – which won a bronze medal in 1971, a silver in 1973 and a gold in 1975 – secured its last podium finish at the World Cup nearly 48 years ago. Coached by Australian World Cup and Olympic medalist Graham Reid, the home team, who were quarter-finalists in the previous edition and now have a mix of youth and experience, will be keen on a fruitful campaign. Regardless of where India end up, the 16-team event is all set to enhance Odisha’s reputation for hosting big-ticket sporting events.