Bhubaneswar: As scheduled, the Trophy Tour of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 officially kicked off today here with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik handing over the trophy to Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey. Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik said, “I hope the Hockey Men’s World Cup Trophy Tour will build excitement for the World Cup across India. We will be hosting 16 teams and the matches will be played in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.”
“I am sure it will be a memorable World Cup for the teams and the fans,” the CM added. Minister for Sports and youth services Tusharkanti Behera, Secretary General Hockey India Bholanath Singh, Commissioner-cum-Secretary R. Vineel Krishna, Executive Director Hockey India Srivastava and officials and hockey players were present on this occasion.
The prestigious trophy will travel across 13 states and one union territory before returning to Odisha on December 25. In the next 21 days, the trophy will move across West Bengal, Manipur, Assam, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. After end of its journey, the trophy will tour in all the districts of Odisha.