India’s largest hockey stadium will come up in the steel city of Rourkela in Sundergarh district, about 500km from here. The stadium will host the Men’s Hockey World Cup-2023 along with Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Announcing this chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said, “Odisha will once again be the proud host of the prestigious Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2023. The tournament will be organised both in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar.”
Terming Sundergarh as a powerhouse of hockey talent, Naveen said, “Many great hockey players from the district have represented the nation at the international level. Dilip Tirkey and Suntia Lakra who led the Indian Hockey Team, have brought laurels for the country”
As per the government plan, the hockey stadium, spread over 15 acres of land, will have a seating capacity of 20,000. The stadium will come up on the campus of Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela. At present, the sitting capacity of Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar is 16,000.
Stating that the contribution of the district to Hockey is unparalleled anywhere in the world, Naveen said, “As a tribute to the contribution of Sundergarh to Indian Hockey, I would like to announce that we will build a new international level hockey stadium in Rourkela with a seating capacity of 20,000.”
It will have all the modern amenities and will offer a unique experience. “I hope it will emerge as the best venue for Field Hockey in the world,” Naveen said.
Reacting to Naveen’s announcement, Former Hockey India Team Captain Dilip Tirkey tweeted,” What could be better news than this! Hon’ble Chief Minister announced a new world-class hockey stadium in my home city Rourkela, set to host FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 along with previous host.”
Odisha had hosted the Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018 and all the matches were played at Kalinga Stadium. “It’s a rare opportunity for any country to host the world cup, but Odisha as a state is going to host it for the second time in a row,” said an official.
