With just 10 days left for the start of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, the captain of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team Harmanpreet Singh expressed the mood in the dressing room at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium.
As host, India is fancied to finish on the podium and the expectations are far greater this time particularly after the team’s stupendous performance at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 where they ended a 41-year long wait to stand on the podium again by bagging the Bronze Medal.
“There is anticipation and excitement in equal measure,” expressed Harmanpreet in a statement. “As the team bus entered the Rourkela city and drove closer to the hockey facility, there were thousands of fans who thronged the streets with tri-colour flags and cheered for us. We were simply speechless by the gesture, and it was then that we actually got a sense of how much hockey means to the people of this region,” exclaimed the ace dragflicker.
Starting January 4, international teams will start arriving in Odisha for the coveted tournament. The Netherlands will be the first team to arrive on Wednesday.
Each day, until January 8, India and Odisha State Government will be welcoming participating teams to the hockey-crazy state, which is hosting its second Hockey World Cup.
“After the World Cup in Kalinga Hockey Stadium in 2018, every single participating team went back with great memories and it was the spectators, the incredible venue, the hospitality, the way everything was executed that made the previous World Cup so special for players. In Rourkela, the atmosphere will be doubly exhilarating.” Harmanpreet highlighted.
The newly built Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium is geared up for a grand opening on 5 th January by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. It’s imperative to note that tickets for all 20 matches in Rourkela is sold out and in Bhubaneswar, people continue to make a beeline to grab the remaining few tickets up for sale.
“There is already a festive atmosphere here in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar. It’s been almost a week since we arrived here and the energy is incredible.” said Amit Rohidas, the Vice Captain of the team who hails from the Sundergarh region.
India is clubbed in Pool D alongside England, Spain and Wales. The men in blue’s first assignment will be against Spain at the Birsa Munda International stadium in Rorkela on January 13 at 7:00pm IST.
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