Hockey World Cup 2023 gets underway in Odisha

The Men's Hockey World Cup, 2023 which got underway on Wednesday evening with a spectacular opening ceremony at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium was witnessed by thousands of hockey lovers from across the country and abroad.

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, International Hockey Federation president Tayyab Ikram and Hockey India chairman Dilip Tirkey attended the glittering ceremony to welcome members of all the 16 participating teams.

in his address, complimented Odisha and called the state the "Land of Hockey".

Odisha hosted the mega event twice consecutively, the first one was held in Bhubaneswar in 2018.

Thakur thanked the Odisha government for successfully hosting the event in grandeur and said the enthusiasm of the people of India and the state showed their love for the game. He said the Centre will always extend support to states for hosting such sporting events.

Patnaik said Odisha has long been known for its hospitality and hoped every visitor takes back good memories of their stay in the state. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government for supporting Odisha in hosting the Men's Hockey World Cup twice consecutively.

The hour-long opening ceremony was preceded and succeeded by colourful cultural programmes. The celebrations began with a tribal dance art of the state. The dance was a fusion of at least six local dance forms choreographed by eminent dance guru Aruna Mohanty.

Odia singers Sniti Mishra, Rituraj Mohanty, Lisa Mishra and a host of other performers, including actor-couple Sabyasachi Mishra and Archita Sahu gave their performances during the ceremony.

Hundreds of singers from Bollywood and local artists sang the Hockey World Cup theme song that was composed by music director Pritam, who also performed on the stage along with some other singers.

The matches will be held at two venues – Birsa Mundra Hockey Stadium in Rourkela and Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar -- from January 13 to January 29.

While 20 matches will be played at Rourkela, 24 matches, including the final, will be held in Bhubaneswar.

Odisha is hosting the international event for the second consecutive time – previously it was held in 2018.