The Odisha government has made special arrangements to make the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela easily accessible for the differently-abled spectators so that they can experience the ongoing Hockey World Cup without facing any inconvenience.
The stadium was completed in just fifteen months, while the World Cup Village was built in just nine months. In order to make the arrangements more friendly, special emphasis has been placed to build a ramp that leads to the lift, taking the differently-abled fans to the floor having access to the stand on the first tier.
"A differently-abled person can enter the stadium from any gate. We have made it universally accessible for them. The stadium has about 100 seats allocated for them," said Vineel Krishna, Odisha Sports Secretary.
Besides the special arrangements, the stadium aims to provide a classic match experience for all the fans visiting the venue.
The gallery seating is designed in such a way that there will be no vision block for the fans irrespective of where they are seated. The stadium has been divided into two levels - lower bowl and upper bowl.