FIH, Hockey India inspect Odisha’s Birsa Munda stadium months before World Cup

Rourkela: A high-level team of hockey officials visited the under-construction stadium in Odisha’s Rourkela on Wednesday to take stock of the situation ahead of the men’s world cup next year. The team, comprising members of the International Hockey Federation or the FIH and Hockey India, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium. They also inaugurated a practice center in the complex of the country’s largest hockey stadium and inspected the activities going on at Rourkela Airport, which will be used as a transit hub for the players, staff, and others. Odisha Sports secretary Vineel Krisha presented the status of the ongoing projects, connectivity, and accommodation and beautification projects. FIH acting president Seif Ahmed congratulated Odisha and Hockey India for the work that they had done. “What we’ve seen today is fantastic, amazing,” Ahmed said at a press briefing, hoping to have a very good world cup in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar. FIH chief executive officer Thierry Weil said it would be the largest hockey stadium in India and, most probably, in the world.

A delegation of @FIH_Hockey including Acting President Mr. Seif Ahmed & CEO, Mr. Thierry Weil and a delegation of Hockey India including Committee of Administrators, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi and Mr. Zafar Iqbal visited Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium that will be co-hosting the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/ut2uLP47cd

— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha) September 7, 2022

The stadium in western Odisha’s Sundargarh district can accommodate 20,000 spectators. The 35-acre site includes the stadium and accommodation inside the 120-acre campus of the Biju Patnaik University of Technology. S Y Quraishi, a member of the committee of administrators that is currently running the sport in the country, said they were “extremely pleased” with the progress made in the project. The former chief election commissioner acknowledged that anything happening in Odisha “is in safe hands”, adding that everything was on track. The visit came a day before the scheduled draw of the Men’s Hockey World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13-29. The state is hosting the quadrennial event for the second time in a row after hosting it in Bhubaneswar in 2018. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.