Odisha: India will play Spain on January 13 in the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup, which is being held in Odisha and begins tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s matches between Argentina-South Africa and Australia-France will be played in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, while the games between India-Spain and England-Wales will take place in the newly built Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
The Hockey World Cup has officially begun after being officially proclaimed open in a glittering ceremony yesterday at the Barabati stadium in the historic city of Cuttack, in the presence of the Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Pattnaik.
While the hockey players from each of the 16 teams are eager to show off their skills, the hockey fans in both stadiums are just as keen to encourage the players. In the meantime, the World Cup has finally arrived in Rourkela to the joy of the residents of the Steel City, which is cradled by Sundergarh the district that is recognised as the birthplace of hockey in India.