Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced that the country’s largest hockey stadium would be constructed in Rourkela that would host the Men’s Hockey World Cup-2023 along with the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The stadium in Rourkela would have a seating capacity of 20,000 with allied facilities. Spread over 15 acres of land, it would be constructed in the Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela campus.
Announcing this in a video message, the Chief Minister said, “As we have announced earlier, Odisha will once again be the proud host of the prestigious Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2023. The tournament will be organised both in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. Sundargarh district is our powerhouse of hockey talents. Many great hockey players from the district have represented the country at the international level. The Indian team led by players like Dilip Tirkey and Sunita Lakra have brought laurels for the country. 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 build a new international-level hockey stadium in Rourkela with a seating capacity of 20,000.” “The stadium will have all the modern amenities and offer a unique experience. I hope it will emerge as the best venue for field hockey in the world,” he said.
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. The works to develop synthetic hockey turf in each of the 17 blocks of Sundargarh district have already commenced.