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Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the much-awaited Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, amidst much fanfare and in the presence of the National Men's Hockey Team. Both the stadium and the Hockey Practice Centre have been certified Level 1 by FIH which is the highest in its category. As a tribute, the stadium has been named after legendary tribal leader Birsa Munda.
Prior to the inauguration, CM Naveen Patnaik met the Indian Hockey Team and committed to award Rs. 1 Crore for each member of the Indian Hockey Team if they win the Hockey World Cup 2023. On occasion, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, "It is a moment of great joy and celebration for Odisha. We are not only hosting the Hockey World Cup for the second consecutive time, but we have also built the world's largest hockey stadium in the world. This is the new Odisha. I dedicate this to the people of Sundargarh and the hockey players of our nation. I welcome the global Hockey fraternity to come and experience its grandeur." In the coming years, the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium will play a pivotal role in taking Indian Hockey to global heights. The Hockey Stadium is named after Birsa Munda, the most eminent tribal freedom fighter from western Odisha who fought the British and protected the tribal heritage and culture and continues to be an inspiration for generations. This state-of-the-art stadium will have the best match day atmosphere in the world with each seat having an unobstructed view of the game and the spectators will be closer to the pitch than at any other hockey stadium in the world. The stadium is fully accessible for the differently abled with dedicated access, and premium seating location distributed around the stadium. Sports lighting has been designed to meet the latest FIH broadcast guidelines for World Cup matches and the centrally controlled sports lighting is seamlessly integrated with the Stadium structure. Custom-designed Player's Locker rooms for Hockey with dedicated Fitness and Recovery facilities with Hydrotherapy facilities for Players. The West Pavilion has been planned with utmost care to ensure clear separation of the Players, Media and VIPs for smooth operation on event days. Another unique feature of the stadium is the provision of dedicated seating for non-playing teams at the field level to promote a culture of positive competition. The Stadium has been designed with the digital revolution in mind. The stadium has been future-proofed with the necessary infrastructure and cabling so it could respond to advances in technology. The safe and welcoming stadium has been strategically placed with a large Urban Plaza for more citizens and visitors to enjoy throughout the year. The Plaza will create vibrant social spaces, making people spend more time there, eating, playing and taking in the sights of the stadium on match days and throughout the year. The Unique stadium facade creates a unified look and allows for natural light and ventilation in the public concourses. The stadium has 225 well-ventilated rooms with ample daylight which makes the facility energy efficient. For entertainment /recreational purposes, the facility has several activity areas like a TT room, snooker, foosball, swimming pool etc. It also has a well-equipped Gymnasium (of 5000 sqft area - just to highlight the scale) with all the latest equipment and is surrounded by more green landscape areas to manage the heat during summer. There are 3 residential blocks with separate landscaped courtyards connected by a central courtyard for more interactive spaces. Two separate multi-cuisine kitchen facilities with 2 dining halls can cater to 300 people at a time. President Hockey India Dilip Tirkey, Sports Minister, Odisha, Tusharkanti Behera, Secretary to CM (5T) V K Pandian, Sports Secretary, Odisha, R Vineel Krishna, and other Government officials were present during the inauguration of the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium. The Hockey World Cup will be played in Kalinga Stadium and Birsa Munda Stadium in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela respectively from January 13 to 29. 16 teams will compete with each other in the prestigious world tournament. 24 matches will be played in Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar while 20 matches will be held in Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela. (ANI)
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