OdishaPlus Bureau
- Bi-venue world cup in Odisha will be a memorable one, says CS Suresh Mahapatra
- 2023 World Cup in two venue is unparalleled in hockey world cup history, says VK Pandian
- Bhubaneswar venue is match ready, Rourkela will be match fit soon, says Vineel Krishna
Odisha has upped the accelerator for the 15th FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in January 2023. The state is pulling out all stops to set a new global benchmark in hosting the mega sports events. In addition to holding the Asian Athletics Championship in 2017, the successful hosting of 2018 men’s World Hockey Cup was a feather in state’s cap.
To ensure that the marquee event is grander than its previous edition, a meeting at the level of CMO helmed by top officials Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra, Private Secretary to Chief Minister (5T) V K Pandian, Principal Secretaries and heads of different Departments, was held at Lok Seva Bhawan today. High ranking officials from Cuttack and Rourkela administration joined the meet through Video Conferencing.
With the top sporting event going to be played in two venues this time, Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra talked on the challenges at hand. But he expressed full confidence on ensuring a smooth, successful and memorable world cup for all- players, officials, fans and spectators.
“We are eagerly looking forward to welcome the top teams of the world. There are certain areas that need special attention and we will be reviewing the development periodically,” he observed and added that different government departments had worked seamlessly to execute an exceptional event in 2018 leaving a global imprint on State’s top sports hosting skills.
The Chief Secretary said that we are expecting to better the last by adding new dimensions to draw in more crowds, engage fans and positively impress the visiting tourists.
Shedding light on hosting for second consecutive time, Private Secretary to Chief Minister (5T), V. K Pandiyan, called it a matter of great pride.
“Odisha has got the opportunity to host the consecutive edition of the Men’ hockey World Cup that too at two different venues. This is unparalleled in the history of hockey world cup and we should be extremely proud of this. Odisha has set a benchmark in hosting international events,” he said and further added that Chief Minister has directed us to use this World Cup as an opportunity to showcase not only Odisha’s capability as a remarkable host but also the art, culture and heritage of the state.
He urged all department heads to work in unison with the aim to ensure players and fans have a gala experience and return as brand ambassadors.
Presenting the road map, Sports Secretary R Vineel Krishna informed that the construction of the infrastructure-cum-facilities in co-host city, Rourkela, is going on in full swing. The development is being keenly monitored and will be match-fit in the coming months.
He further added that subjects liked upgradation and beautification of Rourkela is also in top gear. The work is being on close watch of the district Administration. In Bhubaneswar, new turfs have been laid at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium and it is now match ready.
The top official level meeting also discussed in threadbare the issues like security, fire safety, transport, connectivity, accommodation, tourism, information & technology, finance, public works.
Tags: #hockeyworldcup2023 #Rourkelahockey #FIHMenHockey #KalingaHockeyStadium #CMOOdisha