FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023: Odisha greets world hockey community

It is not only in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 celebrations are all over Odisha.

The important roads and visitor attractions have been illuminated. Roadside walls have been painted with pictures of hockey legends, Lifesize portraits of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have been installed everywhere.

The whole state is on its feet to greet the world hockey fraternity. “It is a great opportunity for us to showcase Odisha to the world,” said Mr Deepanshu, a local entrepreneur, who is supplying signages for use in the World Cup village.

“A new world of opportunities is now open before us. Everyone in Odisha is going to benefit from this mega event. Tourism has got a big boost,” he added.

While the actual competitions will get underway at Bhubaneswar and Rourkela on January 13, the ceremonial start of the event was held at historic Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Wednesday. The stadium, which no longer stages international competitive hockey games,  was packed to the rafters with 45,000 fans, and stood witness to the spectacular trophy celebrations that marked the start of the mega event.

The evening began with a transcendental dance performance by Odissi dancing legend, Guru Aruna Mohanty’s,  troop cheered by the local crowds. Culturally auspicious, the dance reflected the innate spirit of Odisha and paid tribute to its rich heritage.

The official anthem of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023: “Hockey Hai Dil Mera” was then performed live by the composer of the anthem, Pritam along with the 11 singers who sang the original song. The anthem set the stage for unveiling of the FIH Men’s World Cup trophy as FIH President Tayyab Ikram was joined on the stage by Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik, Indian Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Anurag Thakur, and President of Hockey India, Dilip Tirkey.

FIH President Tayyab Ikram took to the podium first and said: “I love the song “Hockey Hai Dil Mera”! Namaskar to the fans in the stadium! Thank you to the Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Pattnaik and the people of Odisha. I carry the thanks of the world of hockey and players of hockey from all over. I also wish to thank the central government and Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narender Modi for his support to hockey. I heard everyone mention that Odisha is the land of culture and heritage. I want to add that this is also the land of Hockey! One of the world’s best hockey stadiums is now open in Rourkela where the world’s best hockey players are about to perform, and they have already declared this one of the best hockey facilities in the world. This is an honour for the International Hockey Federation and all its members and we are all with you on this journey through the World Cup and forever beyond.”

Indian Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Thakur said: “This is a great moment to be hosting the hockey world cup & every Indian is excited to watch it! I commend the efforts made by the state of Odisha and Hockey India in putting together what promises to be a fantastic edition of the Hockey World Cup and also for giving India one of the best hockey stadiums in the world, in Rourkela.”

Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik said: “Odisha has long been known for its hospitality, and I am sure all the visitors will take a small part of Odisha back with them. I also wish to thank the Prime Minister and the central government for all their support.”

Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey then unveiled the trophy, marking the official opening of the 15th edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup.

The  introduction of the participating teams followed. The teams  were greeted with loud cheers. The home team, that came last, will aim to follow Netherlands (in 1973 & 1998) and Germany (in 2006) to become only the third nation to win the World Cup as the hosts.

There was a lot more in store for the thousands of hockey fans as performances by K-Pop band Black Swan, Bollywood actors Disha Patani and Ranveer Singh followed.

Prabhjot Singh