DGP Reviews Security Arrangements For Men’s Hockey World Cup

Bhubaneswar: Director General of Police (DGP) Dr Rajendra Prasad Sharma on Saturday reviewed the security arrangements for Men’s Hockey World Cup to be held at Kalinga Stadium in the Odisha capital later this year.

Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty and other senior officers of Commissionerate Police, Secretary Sports Vishal Dev, Hockey India officials, event management officials and senior officers of State Police Headquarters surveyed the site along with the DGP.

Security arrangements at the stadium, traffic management, parking and other issues were also discussed.

The 14th edition of the Hockey World Cup is scheduled to be held here from November 28 to December 16. A total of 36 matches will be played during the 19-day tournament. Two matches would be played a day from 5 pm onward with the quarter finals on December 12 and 13. Semi-final and final matches are slated for December 15 and 16 respectively.

Teams from 16 countries would participate. They are India, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, England, Spain, Pakistan, New Zealand, France, China, South Africa, Malaysia, Canada and Ireland.

This is the third time that India will be hosting the mega event, which will be first for Odisha.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has launched a 360 degree nation-wide publicity campaign, ‘Heartbeats for Hockey’, in an attempt to showcase Bhubaneswar as a sporting venue and Odisha as a tourist destination.