Bhubaneswar to host 35th Men’s Champions Trophy tourney

Big-time hockey will grace the city of Bhubaneswar as it gears up to stage the 35th FIH Champions Trophy men's hockey tournament from December 13-21 next year.

The premier hockey tourney featuring eight elite teams will be played at the Kalinga Stadium Sports Complex. The 6,000-capacity Stadium, which is currently undergoing renovation, is expected to be full ready for the big-ticket event.

The event will be organized by Hockey India in conjunction with the Odisha Government. The Stadium has two astroturfs –one is ready while the construction work on the other is going on.

According to Hockey India sources, the entire construction work on the Stadium will be wrapped up June next year.

Hockey is hugely popular in Odisha and hosting of the high-profile event should be a crowd-puller.

Earlier this year, a seven-member International Hockey Federation (IHF) team led by International Hockey CEO Kelly Fairweather visited the Kalinga Stadium and gave the required go-ahead.

It may be worth mentioning that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had inaugurated the first synthetic hockey stadium, constructed at a cost of Rs 25 crores.