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BJD president and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday felt "deeply anguished" over the change in the Indian hockey team's jersey colour from blue to orange, calling blue a symbol of India's sporting heritage and national pride.
The new jerseys were launched ahead of the FIH Men's and Women's Hockey World Cups, which are scheduled to begin on August 14 and 15, respectively, in the Netherlands and Belgium. The change in jersey colour has sparked controversy, with former India captain and Olympian Viren Rasquinha also questioned the decision. "I am deeply anguished to know that the legendary colour of the Indian hockey team's jersey has been changed to saffron. The iconic shade of blue of the Indian hockey team is not just a colour. It is an emotion associated with the nation's sporting heritage," he said in a post on X. "For decades, this colour united us in hope, in victory, in defeat and in the pursuit of sporting excellence. We have cried, laughed, celebrated and stood proudly with our men and women in blue. Wearing the blue jersey our teams have won Olympic medals with the national anthem playing on the world stage. #Blue is derived from the blue chakra in our national flag. It is a symbol of our national pride and identity. The colour blue belongs to every Indian," he added. https://x.com/Naveen_Odisha/status/2082814504241639815?s=20 Patnaik highlighted Odisha's contribution to Indian hockey and criticised the jersey colour change, saying it should not be linked to a change in government. He compared the blue jersey's significance to iconic national sports colours and said altering it risks damaging India's sporting legacy and unity. "When the national hockey teams were struggling for sponsors, Odisha created history by being the first and only state to support our national teams and our beloved game. Every Odia across the globe was proud of the state's gift to national hockey. After 41 long years, our men's team won an Olympic medal. Just because the government changed in Odisha, it should not change our national team colours. This is petty politics of the worst kind," he said. "Our blue jersey is to us what the iconic stripes are to Argentina and the yellow jersey is to Brazil. It is etched in our collective memory. Any change in this colour, is a crass attempt to erase our priceless sporting legacy. National symbols are meant to unite us not divide," he added. Patnaik alleged that the Indian hockey team's jersey colour change was influenced by the Odisha government and accused it of politicising the national sport. He said the decision had hurt the sentiments of sports fans and undermined Odisha's long-standing support for Indian hockey. "I am given to understand that this step was taken under pressure from the BJP Government in Odisha. Those in authority may deny it, but the fact is that for the last two years, everybody in Odisha has seen the obsession of this government with changing colours of buildings, buses and even bridges. It is the only work that is happening in Odisha today. But now the same government has changed the colours of our national team. I strongly condemn this attempt by BJP Odisha to politicise a national game like hockey. It has deeply hurt the sentiments of lakhs of sports lovers across the country and the pride with which Odisha has supported the national hockey," he said. (ANI)
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