India's largest hockey stadium in Rourkela to host 2023 world cup games

Many renowned players from the district, such as Dilip Tirkey and Sunita Lakra, have represented the country at the international level

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced that a new world-class hockey stadium would be constructed at Rourkela in Sundargarh district as part of preparations for the 2023 Hockey World Cup which will be hosted by the state.

The proposed stadium would be the largest hockey stadium in India with a seating capacity for 20,000 people. This is going to redefine the sports landscape in the region, the chief minister said.

The stadium along with the allied facilities will be developed as a benchmark for other hockey stadiums around the world, he said, adding that it would be constructed over 15 acres of land in the Biju Patnaik University of Technology campus in Rourkela.

Announcing this in a video message, Patnaik 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 organized both in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, he said.

Patnaik said Sundergarh district is a powerhouse of hockey talent in the country and many great hockey players from the district have represented the country at the international level.

The Indian hockey team was led by players like Dilip Tirkey and Sunita Lakra who hailed from Sundergarh district.

"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," Patnaik said.

He said: "As a tribute to the contribution of Sundergarh to Indian Hockey, I would like to announce that we will build 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, Patnaik said. "I hope it will emerge as the best venue for hockey in the World", he said

Recently, 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 had visited Rourkela to review the infrastructure and allied facilities in the steel city for hosting the prestigious hockey world cup.

The work to develop synthetic hockey turf in each of the 17 blocks of Sundargarh district has already commenced, sources said.