Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced that a new world class hockey stadium would be constructed in Rourkela city. With this announcement, the wheels to host the prestigious FIH Mens Hockey World Cup 2023 started rolling.

The new stadium would be the biggest of its kind for hockey in India with a sitting capacity of 20,000. This is going to redefine the sports landscape in the region, the release stated.

The stadium along with the allied facilities will be developed as a benchmark for other hockey stadiums around the world. Spread over 15 acres of land, the stadium will be constructed in the Biju Patnaik University of Technology campus, Rourkela.

Announcing this in a video message, Chief Minister Patnaik said, “As we have announced earlier, Odisha will once again be the proud host of the prestigious Mens Hockey World Cup in 2023. The tournament will be organised both in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

“Sundargarh district is our powerhouse of hockey talent. Many great hockey players from the district have represented the country at the international level. The India team, led by players like Dilip Tirkey and Sunita Lakra have brought laurels for the country,’’ the CM said.

Popularity of hockey can be seen across the district. The support of people of the district to hockey players is unparalleled anywhere in the world. As a tribute to the contribution of Sundargarh to Indian Hockey, I would like to announce that we will built a new international level hockey stadium in Rourkela with a seating capacity of 20,000.

The stadium 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,’’ he concluded.

Recently, a high level team including senior officials from the State Government, International Federation of Hockey (FIH), Department of Sports and Youth Services and Hockey India had visited Rourkela and reviewed the infrastructure and allied facilities in the city to host the prestigious and much awaited Hockey event.