Senior officials of International Hockey Federation (FIH), Hockey India (HI) and Odisha State Government today visited Rourkela to review the infrastructure work being carried out in the Steel City ahead of the FIH Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup India 2023.
Among the officials, FIH president Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra, Hockey India president Gyanendro Ningombam, ECO Elena Norman, Odisha Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera, State Chief Secretary Asit Kumar Tripathy, State Sports Youth Services Department (DSYS) Secretary Vishal K Dev, Director R Vineel Krishna, Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation of Odisha (IDCO) MD Sanjay Singh were notable names.
2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup will be hosted in Odisha for the second consecutive time, at two venues, Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The 2018 edition of the Men’s Hockey World Cup, held at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, proved to be huge success.
The officials, along with Sundergarh and Rourkela administration also assessed the plan for subsequent actions at the core of which lies sports infrastructure development as per FIH standards and urban development involving large scale upgradation of Rourkela city.
According to Sports Minister Behera, the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 is expected to be even larger than 2018 and with matches to be hosted in two venues, it will be a challenge and an opportunity. ‘‘Bhubaneswar having hosted the World Cup has most of the arrangements in place. Rourkela, a planned and developed city, will go through large scale upgradation. We will create all necessary arrangements to host players, officials, sports enthusiasts from around the world, and give them a memorable experience. We are aiming to complete all works by mid-2022,” he stated.
Chief Secretary Tripathy said, “Odisha Government left no stone unturned to make 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup a truly international experience and in 2023 too it will excel in its execution and all stake holders are collectively working towards it. The state has been in the forefront of sports promotion, and the development work in Rourkela and Sundergarh, will redefine the sports landscape in this region.’’
Shedding light on the preparation ahead of the event, FIH President Dr Batra
shared, “The FIH World Cup, either for Men or for Women, is the flagship event of hockey’s world governing body. Therefore, it is essential that all operational matters are conducted in a state-of-the-art way, so that athletes and fans can enjoy a thrilling time! Furthermore, it’s important for the development of our sport to extend the number of venues around the world to be able to welcome such a competition. I am really pleased with the commitment of the public authorities of Rourkela, which I would like to thank wholeheartedly, and I am convinced it will be a great venue for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023.”
Stating that the infrastructure work is on schedule, Hockey India President Ningombam said, “During their visit to Rourkela, the FIH and HI officials took note of the stadium and airport upgradation work being carried out as well as a review of the medical and accommodation facilities. The delegation also took note of the traffic, security and local transportation facilities between Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. We are thankful to Odisha State Government for ensuring the infrastructure work does not get hampered despite these difficult times due to the pandemic.”
According to DSYS Secretary Dev, as a build up to the event, DSYS has commenced the process of laying 16 synthetic turfs in 16 blocks of Sundergarh. Work is already under progress in Bhawanipur adding to the momentum. Work that was stalled amidst Covid-19 pandemic has resumed in adherence to guidelines laid down.