BHUBANESWAR: As the final whistle of the India-Great Britain Olympics match announced the nation’s march into the semi-final of Olympics men's hockey after 41 years, the jubilation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik could not be missed.
Glued to the television screen for the entire match at Naveen Nivas, the Chief Minister rose to his feet, clapping in joy, and accompanying Indians in congratulating the team for the stupendous feat.
Expressing happiness over the Indian team's victory, the Chief Minister said that the national team has come out with flying colours in the quarter final. He expressed hope that the team will keep up the momentum to win both the semis and the final.
The national hockey teams' success - both men and women - holds immense significance for Odisha as the State has been on the forefront of promoting the game in the country. Odisha government is the sponsor of both men and women national hockey teams since 2018. The government has pledged Rs 150 crore for sponsoring the teams for five years.
Naveen has taken personal interest in development and promotion of the game and under his leadership, the State government is putting a premium on hockey to help India regain its dominance in global hockey, official sources said.
Since 2014, when it organised the Champions Trophy, the State has come a long way organising the Hockey World Cup in 2018 and becoming the hosts again in 2023, when the tournament will be played in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The State has also hosted the World League, Pro-League and Olympic qualifiers, etc.
The State is constructing a new world class hockey stadium at Rourkela. This will be largest hockey stadium in India with a seating capacity for 20,000 people. The State government has made a provision of Rs 90 crore for the stadium.
"The continuous support has ensured stability in performance of the Indian teams. Both the men and women’s team have been excelling and the performance has been brilliant in the Olympics so far," official sources said.
The State immensely contributed towards Indian hockey team - both men and women - with many players representing the national squads. At present the vice captain in men's team Birendra Lakra and Deep Grace Ekka in the women’s are from Odisha.
Former India captain Dilip Tirkey also congratulated the Indian team for its success.
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