BHUBANESWAR: The upcoming home games of the FIH Pro League 2021/2022 in Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar will be a telecast-only affair as Hockey India and FIH have decided to hold the double-header weekend matches starting from 26th February under closed-doors for the time being.
Both Indian men and women’s hockey teams will play against Spain on 26th and 27th February, followed by matches against Germany on 12th and 13th March, while the men’s team will take on Argentina in a double-header on 19th and 20th March.
The following month, Indian men and women’s hockey teams will play England on 2nd and 3rd April.
With the popularity of the game in this region and expected crowds in the stadium, the organisers believe it would not be possible control that number of people and yet follow all the ​necessary Covid guidelines and protocols laid out by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, FIH and Hockey India. Social distancing is a priority due to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation and the safety of the fans and athletes needs to be prioritised.
For the organisers, it is imperative to hold the tournament in an environment where health and safety of the participating teams, including and support staff is of paramount importance. While the stadium will only be open to accredited operational staff, participants of the tournament, sponsors, staff of participating organisations, delegate and guests invited by Hockey India and FIH, the matches will be broadcasted live across platforms around the world and fans can tune in and cheer for their favourite teams and players.
The situation will be reviewed at the end of February 2022 for matches scheduled from March.
