BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha state government’s Sports and Youth Services Department is hopeful of hosting FIH Men’s Series Finals scheduled to be held next month despite the damage caused to the hockey stadium in the severe cyclone Fani.
A team of the department assessed the infrastructure of the hockey stadium Tuesday and found minor damage, Kalinga TV reports. The team also observed tears at few places on the synthetic turf.
Vishal Kumar Dev, commissioner cum secretary of the department, said the hockey stadium has suffered minor damages that can be repaired by the end of May.
“We are working relentlessly to restore it. A team of Hockey India along with technical experts was in the city to inspect the stadium and the turf for the upcoming FIH Men’s Series Finals. Further action will be initiated after their evaluation and we are hopeful of hosting the event as scheduled,” Dev told the channel.
The eight countries participating in the event include India, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Africa, USA and Uzbekistan.
The tournament runs from June 6 through to June 15.
