Hockey World Cup 2018: FIH Events Director Visits Kalinga Stadium To Oversee Work

Bhubaneswar: The state is gearing up to host the biggest tournament, the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 starting November 28.

The FIH (International Hockey Federation) Events Director, Gabrielle van Zwieten, is on a two-day visit to Bhubaneswar to ensure that the preparations are on at full pace for the prestigious event. The tournament will witness 16 top teams in the world vie for the top spot.

 Accompanied by officials from the host federation Hockey India, Zwieten had extensive meetings with Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Government, Department of Youth Services and Sports, Vishal K Dev and representatives from various departments to discuss the overall progress of the work.

The daylong proceedings also included the 5th Executive Committee meeting for the organisation of Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 chaired by Aditya Prasad Padhi, Chief Secretary & Chief Development Commissioner, Government of Odisha.

On Tuesday, Gabrielle will also visit the rest of the facilities to complete her inspection. “I am delighted with the progress of work at the Kalinga Stadium and am quite confident that the venue will be ready well within the stipulated time. The keenness of the Odisha government and Hockey India to deliver to perfection and leave no stone unturned in their preparations to host the biggest hockey event is worth a mention. I am confident the hockey fraternity will witness a spectacular event starting this November,” stated the Events Director, FIH.

 The infrastructural work at the iconic Kalinga Stadium includes the upgradation of seating capacity to 15,000. The stadium will also get two brand new pitches. The floodlights at both the main pitch and the practice pitch have been upgraded while the entire main stadium is being given a facelift with wider roads, new gates and permanent CCTV cameras for safety.  Elena Norman, CEO, Hockey India said she has made regular visits to Bhubaneswar and is happy to see the infrastructural advancements.

Vishal K. Dev, Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Government, Department of Sports & Youth Services, Government of Odisha said he is pleased with the ongoing preparations for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. The aim, he said, is to permeate the image of Odisha globally through the Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. There will also be a number of campaigns beginning next month to create a buzz about the world cup nationwide.”

A total of 36 matches will be played during the 19-day Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. The 16 participating countries are- India, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, England, Spain, Pakistan, New Zealand, France, China, South Africa, Malaysia, Canada and Ireland.

The general tickets for the event are already on sale and are reasonably priced at Rs 200 (East Stand), Rs 100 (North Stand) and Rs 100 (South Stand) for the Pool and Crossover matches while tickets for the knockout matches are priced at Rs 250 (East Stand), Rs 150 (North Stand) and Rs 150 (South Stand).  All general tickets for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 are now available online at http://in.ticketgenie.in/buytickets/hockey-world-cup-2018