Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for India’s largest hockey stadium in Rourkela in a tribute to Sundargarh’s contribution to Indian hockey. The stadium will be named after Birsa Munda, a legendary freedom fighter, and will host the 2023 Hockey World Cup.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation for AstroTurfs in all 17 blocks in the district to cultivate hockey talent. The stadium is situated inside the sprawling campus of one of the state’s leading technical institutes, the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT). The stadium is adjacent to the Rourkela airstrip, which is expected to begin commercial flights soon. This stadium will have a seating capacity of 20,000+.
Every element of technological and organizational enforcement has been achieved in close collaboration with Hockey India to provide a seamless facility to host the World Cup. The stadium is going to be a green, practical, cost-effective architecture model. Every seat would have uninterrupted sightlines built to offer the best match-day atmospheres in the world, and the spectators will be closer to the pitch than at any other hockey stadium in the world. Within a year, the stadium will be completed and would host 2023 Hockey World Cup matches along with the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
