The Odisha government is sparing no expense to organize the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in January 2023. The state has reportedly budgeted an outlay of Rs 1,098.40 crore towards hosting the global tournament, a 16-fold increase over the Rs 66.98 crore that was spent on hosting the last Hockey World Cup.
The 2018 World Cup matches were held in Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Hockey stadium. However, this time, the newly constructed Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela will share hosting duties with Bhubaneswar.
IANS, quoting official sources, reports that out of the total amount of Rs 1,098.40 crore, the state is spending Rs 1,010 crore on the development of the Birsa Munda Hockey stadium and its peripheral area.
The highest amount of Rs 875.78 crore is being spent on the new stadium at Rourkela, which is in the final stages of construction. While Rs 84 crore is being invested in the construction of accommodation buildings, Rs 10.50 crore has been spent for the development of the peripheral area in Rourkela and Rs 13 crore for electrical works in Birsa Munda Hockey stadium.
The government has also given Rs 17.50 crore to Hockey India for putting synthetic turfs in both Rourkela and Bhubaneswar stadiums, IANS further reports.
The state government has been sponsoring the national hockey teams since 2018 and has taken various projects to make sure that this marquee event is even bigger and better than its previous edition.
The FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup is scheduled to be held from January 13 to 29 2023 in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.
