ROURKELA: Odisha Government’s preparation for the 2023 edition of the Men’s Hockey World Cup has received the endorsement of International Hockey Federation (FIH) as its chief Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra on Friday expressed pleasure with the State’s commitment and readiness for the grand sports event.
After an assessment here on the spot, Batra said he was pleased with the commitment of the public authorities of Rourkela. “I am convinced that it will be a great venue for the FIH Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup India 2023,” he said after a visit during which top bosses of Odisha government and Hockey India (HI) reviewed the Steel City’s infrastructure and logistic needs for hosting the matches of Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023.
Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy, Sports Secretary Vishal Dev, Director R Vineel Krishna, IDCO Chairman-cum-Managing Director Sanjay Singh accompanied by Batra and Hockey India (HI) chief executive officer Elena Norman visited the Biju Patnaik Hockey Stadium of SAIL and Birsa Munda multi-purpose stadium.
They later held a preparatory meeting with the Sundargarh district administration at Rourkela House to assess the preparedness of the city to host the mega event. After the meeting, Behera said, following the success of Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha was appreciated across the world and the State’s brand image got a major boost. It was a matter of great pride that Odisha will again hold the prestigious event in 2023, he said and hoped that required infrastructure augmentation and air connectivity to Rourkela would be completed much ahead of the World Cup.
Rourkela MLA and Sundargarh District Planning Committee chairman Sarada Prasad Nayak said the top government officials and hockey administrators were given two presentations on different Smart City projects and further upgradation initiatives of the city.
“Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has gifted Rourkela with an opportunity to host the prestigious event for the first time. While Bhubaneswar would be the principal venue, Rourkela has been chosen as the second venue,” he added.
The Chief Secretary said the State has been at the forefront of sports promotion and the development work in Rourkela and Sundargarh will redefine the sports landscape in the region.As a build up to the event, the Sports department has commenced process for laying synthetic turfs in 16 blocks of Sundargarh district.