Hockey India, Odisha govt aim to host a memorable 2023 WC

New Delhi, Jan 13 : With exactly two years to go, Hockey India and the Odisha government are gearing up to host the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup. In 2023, India will host the competition for a record fourth time since its inception in 1971. The tournament is slated to be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29, 2023.
When India hosted the 14th edition of the World Cup in 2018, all the matches of the competition were held at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, but two venues will be utilised for the 2023 event.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, on December 24 last year, announced a new world-class stadium to be constructed in Rourkela city which would be the biggest stadium for hockey in the country with a sitting capacity of 20,000.
The stadium is set to have all the modern facilities and will offer a unique experience to players and the fans during the 2023 World Cup. The work to develop synthetic hockey turf in each of the 17 blocks of Sundargarh district has already begun.
“It will be a challenge and an opportunity for us to organize the 2023 World Cup in two venues – Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. Since the World Cup in 2018 was held at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, most of the arrangements are in place in Bhubaneswar, while a new world-class Hockey stadium is being built in Rourkela,” said Minister for Sports and Youth Services, Odisha Tusharkanti Behera.
“World-class infrastructure at both venues will enable Odisha to once again deliver a successful and memorable tournament and leave behind a valuable and lasting legacy,” he added.