BHUBANESWAR: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday unveiled the official logo of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 to be held at Bhubaneswar and Rourkela at a function at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium.
The prestigious quadrennial tournament is scheduled to be held from 13 January to 29 January 2023 at the Kalinga Stadium and at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium at Rourkela. Hockey India and its official partner Odisha will host the marquee event for the second consecutive time in the country after the grand success of the 2018 world cup held at Kalinga Stadium.
“It’s an honour and delight for me to unveil the logo of the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup for the second consecutive time,” said the chief minister on the occasion.
“We are thrilled that there will be two venues this time- Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The 2018 world cup gave us all memories that we still cherish to this day while the 2023 edition will be even more exciting and unforgettable. Odisha looks forward to welcoming global hockey fans and top teams from across the world to participate in the prestigious tournament,” added Naveen.
The logo was unveiled in presence of Indian and German men’s hockey teams, who are based in Bhubaneswar for their FIH Hockey Pro League matches.
While the Kalinga Stadium is ready with world-class infrastructure for the mega event, the state government has been developing the country's largest hockey stadium at Rourkela. The new world-class stadium will have a seating capacity of 20,000 and will be ready in the next three to four months.
Around Rs 110 crore is being spent by the state government for development of the state-of-the-art international hockey stadium. Spreading over 15 acres of land, the stadium will be unique in terms of its design and grandeur.
Besides the main stadium, practice turfs, advanced fitness centre and floodlights for night-time matches have been provisioned at the stadium, said official sources.
Hosting world cup matches in Rourkela carries great significance as the city is under Sundargarh district, known as the cradle of Indian hockey as the district has produced over three dozen of international hockey players.
The state government has also taken up several infrastructure projects including upgradation of airport, city beautification, accommodation and medical infrastructure facilities in the steel city keeping an eye on the mega sporting event.
Former captain of the Indian hockey team and chairman of Odisha Hockey Promotion Council Dilip Tirkey and senior state government officers were present on the occasion.
