Odisha will host the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from November 24 to December 5, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced on Thursday.
Addressing a special event organized here for the purpose, Patnaik said that recently Hockey India had approached the state government to extend support for the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup to be held in two months.
“This is a brief notice to arrange such an event, especially during the pandemic period. But since the prestige of the country is at stake, we immediately agreed to support.”
Stating that the junior India team had won the last Hockey World Cup, he said, “As a defending champion, I am sure our team will be victorious again at home.”
The Chief Minister further said that hockey holds a special place in the minds of the people of Odisha and the hockey players of the state have led the country in many international tournaments.
“For the past decade, we have been working closely with Hockey India for the development of hockey in the country. We have been sponsoring national teams since 2018 and have hosted major tournaments including the Senior World Cup.”
All these efforts led to the historic success of both men’s and women’s hockey teams in the recently held Tokyo Olympics, Patnaik said, adding that the achievement brought great joy to people across the country and a lot of excitement about its prospects. Indian Hockey in the coming years.
He further said that the Hockey World Cup to be held in January 2023 will be a historic event and will give further impetus to the development of hockey in the country.
“Odisha will continue to be a part of the journey of Indian hockey. We have rightly announced that Odisha will support national hockey teams for the next 10 years. We are also building India’s biggest hockey stadium in Rourkela.”
The Chief Minister also unveiled the logo and trophy for the Junior World Cup.
State Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Hockey India President Narinder Batra, Odisha Hockey Promotion Council President Dilip Tirkey and senior state government officials attended the event.
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