Hockey World Cup Celebrations to Be Held in 5 Municipal Corporations in Odisha; Mo Bus Service to Start in Rourkela

Bhubaneswar: The celebrations of 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup will be held in five Municipal Corporations in Odisha.

The Odisha Government will start the Mo Bus service in Rourkela, one of the host cities for the mega sporting event.

It is being known after the State Council of Ministers’ meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday.

The Council of Ministers reviewed preparations for the Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 which will be hosted at Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29, 2023. Total 16 teams will be competing for prestigious trophy.

Apprising on the preparations for World Cup, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra informed Kalinga Hockey Stadium is fully operational and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela will be ready by November. Astro-turfs & flood lights completed at both venues.

The Hockey World Cup will be celebrated in five Municipal Corporations in the State including the historic Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. There will be trophy tours of HWC 2023 across India and most districts of Odisha. The district-level festivals and events are planned for promotion of sports and cultural activities in which panchayats, schools & colleges will be also involved.

The host cities of Bhubaneswar and Rourkela will be beautified. All departments are working in coordination with each other for this. Regular flight services will start from Rourkela airport. Besides, chartered flights will be used for transportation of players and match officials. On this occasion, ‘Mo Bus’ service will be launched in Rourkela with 100 new buses.

The CM appreciated the efforts of various departments involved in organising Hockey Men’s World Cup. He directed that all the activities should be completed within timelines & the agencies should work in close coordination to make World Cup a grand success and memorable for the teams and fans.

Bhubaneswar will host 24 matches while Rourkela will host 20 matches. For teams  and officials, a 225-room accommodation facility is being constructed and is expected to be completed by end of November.