NEW DELHI: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday launched the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 trophy tour in Bhubaneswar, handing over the trophy to Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey.
Wishing the trophy tour a grand success, the chief minister said, “I hope the Hockey Men’s World Cup Trophy Tour will build excitement for the World Cup across India. We will host 16 teams and the matches will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela…I am sure it will be an unforgettable World Cup for the teams and the fans.”
Odisha sports and youth services minister Tusharkanti Behera, secretary general Hockey India Bholanath Singh, state sports secretary R. Vineel Krishna, executive director of Hockey India Srivastava and officials and hockey players were present on the occasion.
The trophy will travel to 13 states and one union territory before returning to Odisha on December 25.
In the next 21 days, the trophy will travel to West Bengal, Manipur, Assam, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh.
Once back in Odisha, the Hockey Men’s World Cup Trophy will tour all districts.
The trophy will also visit 17 blocks of Sundargarh district, which has been the ‘cradle of Indian Hockey’. The final leg of the tour will be in Rourkela before finally returning to the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar where the finals will be held on 29 January 2023.
The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela will begin on January 13.
Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, India, Argentina, Germany, New Zealand, England, France, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, South Africa, Japan, Chile, and Wales are the 16 teams participating in the World Cup 2023.
