Bhubaneswar: In what could redefine the sports landscape in Odisha, the country’s biggest hockey stadiums will come up in the city of Rourkela.
Announcing this, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said the new world class hockey stadium in Rourkela will have a sitting capacity for 20,000 spectators.
“The stadium along with the allied facilities will be developed as a benchmark for other Hockey stadiums around the world. Spread over 15 acres of land, the stadium will be constructed in the Biju Patnaik University of Technology campus, Rourkela,” said Patnaik in a video message.
The new stadium will serve as the second venue for the Men's Hockey World Cup scheduled to be played in 2023. Another venue is Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, official sources said.
Patnaik further 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.”
The Chief Minister stated that Sundargarh district is our powerhouse of ‘Hockey Talent’ and many great hockey players from the district have represented the country at the international level.
The India 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, he said.
“As a tribute to the contribution of Sundargarh to Indian Hockey, I would like to announce that we will built a new International level Hockey Stadium in Rourkela with a seating capacity of 20,000. The stadium will have all the modern amenities and will offer a unique experience. I hope it will emerge as the best venue for Field Hockey in the World,” Patnaik added.
It is pertinent to mention here that 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 recently had visited Rourkela and reviewed the infrastructure and allied facilities in the city.
The work to develop synthetic hockey turf in each of the 17 blocks of Sundargarh district has already commenced.