Belgium’s Goodbye Note: You Are Fabulous Bhubaneswar!

Bhubaneswar: The hockey fest ended on a high note for Belgium, which lifted the World Cup trophy by beating Netherlands in shootout, on Sunday.

The Belgian Red Lions roared their way to victory in the thriller, which brought the curtains down on the 19-day event. As the team took the flight back, they left a note for the hosts and its people.

The Olympic silver medallists Belgium entered the World Cup winners club by beating three-time champions Netherlands in sudden death.

The ‘God of Cricket’ Sachin Tendulkar also witnessed the finals, which saw a sixth nation win the title after 16 years. He tweeted a selfie from Kalinga Stadium describing the crazy atmosphere and the love for hockey.

As everyone had words of praise for the success of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup-2018 and the world-class arrangements, International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Narinder Dhruv Batra during the post match presentation ceremony announced that the city would host the Hockey Olympic qualifiers next year.

Besides, Bhubaneswar is scheduled to host one of the three Hockey Series Finals to be held from June 6 to 16 next year.