Jharkhand is the only state which will witness FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 trophy being displayed in two cities.

While the trophy was placed for public display at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Saturday, it would be kept at Morabadi Stadium and along the Main Road in Ranchi on Sunday.

Hockey Jharkhand president Bhola Nath Singh, who is also a vice-president of Hockey India, said: “Jharkhand is the only state in the country where the World Cup trophy will be kept for public display at two cities. Usually, the trophy is kept at the state capitals (barring host state Odisha where the trophy would be travelling through districts) across the country. But in Jharkhand, Jamshedpur was also chosen by Hockey India in view of the immense contribution of Tata Steel towards hockey.”

Singh further added that Tata Stel is also the official partner for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup and is the first private sector company to start a hockey academy — Naval Tata Hockey Academy in Jamshedpur in 2017.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on December 5 launched the trophy tour in Bhubaneswar, handing over the trophy to Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey.

According to the schedule, the trophy would be taken to 13 states and one Union Territory before returning to Odisha on December 25.

The trophy has so far covered West Bengal, Manipur and Assam before reaching Jharkhand.

It will be covering Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh.

Once back in Odisha, the World Cup trophy will tour across all districts.

The trophy will also visit 17 blocks of Sundargarh district, which has become the “cradle of Indian hockey”.

The last leg of the tour will be in Rourkela before returning to the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar where the finals will be played on January 29, 2023.

“Hosting the FIH Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup trophy at JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur, for public viewing is a great honour for all of us in the Tata Steel family and the Tata Group. It is a matter of great honour and pride. This is a great opportunity for sports fans and the public to know more about the role of Tata Steel in Indian sports in general and Indian hockey in particular. We are delighted to welcome everyone to be a part of this momentous occasion,” said Tata Steel vice-president (corporate services) Chanakya Choudhary.

The 2023 edition of the men’s hockey World Cup will be held at India’s two Olympic-standard stadiums in Odisha — the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela — from January 13 to 27, 2023. 176 players from 16 countries will participate in this quadrennial event.