The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and Government of Odisha have on Monday officially confirmed that the Men’s Hockey World league Final 2017 and Hockey Men’s World Cup 2018 will be held at Kalinga Stadium here.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, expressed that the global events will not only enthral hockey fans in the State but also help promote the sport among the younger generation. “It brings me immense pride to announce that the Government of Odisha will be hosting the prestigious Odisha Men’s Hockey World league Final Bhubaneswar 2017 as well as the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. Over the years, Odisha has played host to several reputed international events and we are very happy to be hosting the hockey events in Bhubaneswar which has seen thousands of hockey fans throng the Kalinga Stadium for hockey matches be it the Coal India Hockey India league or to cheer the international teams during the international events.
It was also confirmed that the State of Odisha will be Title Sponsor of both events. As a result, the official event titles will be the ‘Odisha Men’s Hockey World league Final Bhubaneswar 2017’ and the ‘Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018’, said Sports Minister Sudam Marndi.
The Odisha Men’s Hockey World league Final Bhubaneswar 2017 takes place between December 1 to 10 and will welcome eight of the world’s best men’s teams who, in addition to the hosts, qualify from this summer’s Hockey World league Semi-Finals.
The Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 will take place in late November and early December in 2018 and will see 15 teams join hosts India at the event. They will qualify from the Hockey World league Semi-Finals and Continental Championships, also taking place this year, added Marndi.
Fans will descend upon the Kalinga Stadium to share the glory of two of hockey’s biggest events, where World league and World Cup champions will be crowned.
The venue itself is already familiar to hockey fans. Not only did it successfully host the 2014 Men’s Hero Hockey Champions Trophy, it is also home to the current
champions of the Coal India Hockey India league — the Kalinga lancers.
The multi-purpose stadium, built in 2010, has facilities for athletics, football, basketball, tennis, table-tennis and swimming, ensuring that it is well equipped to host international sporting events.
FIH President Narinder Dhruv Batra added “Bhubaneswar is a city ready to welcome the world. Its passionate sports fans and our experienced hosts will create an incredible environment for our stars to shine during what are the two of the biggest events in our sport.