Hockey India announces a partnership with the Government of Odisha for the next five years
HARPAL SINGH BEDI /New Delhi
The Government of Odisha today announced a first-of-its-kind association with Hockey India for the next five years. The state also unveiled its logo that will don the new jerseys of Team India: Men’s and Women’s hockey teams.
The launch was graced by the Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Naveen Patnaik along with Team India: Men and Women, Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, President, FIH and President, IOA and legends of Indian Hockey including Dilip Tirkey, Dhanraj Pillay and Viren Rasquinha.
Commenting on the occasion, Naveen Patnaik said, “We are delighted at this association with Indian hockey and we thank Hockey India to have given us this platform. Hockey in Odisha is more than a sport; it’s a way of life, especially in our tribal regions, where children learn to walk with hockey sticks. No wonder, Odisha has produced India’s finest hockey talent. This is a first where a state government will not just be promoting a sport within its boundaries but will support and nurture the Indian Hockey Teams. This is Odisha’s gift to the nation.”
The State of Odisha is the cradle of Hockey, and has produced hockey greats like Dilip & Ignace Tirkey and Lazarus Barla in the past, and players in the current team like Birendra Lakra, Amit Rohidas, Dipsan Tirkey & Namita Toppo to name a few. The Odisha government has extended its support to the sport through state-funded sports hostels and nurturing athletes that are an integral part of the men’s and women’s national team. The worship of the sport extends to the common man where hockey tournaments are commonplace in the smallest villages, and stadiums brimming come rain or shine.
The Odisha Govt. recognising the sports loving nature of its 4.5cr people has been supporting Hockey with various initiatives. The state is the title sponsor of first of its kind franchise, Kalinga Lancers and was the host city of Hockey World League in November 2017. The state is also the proud title sponsor of the upcoming Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in November 2018.
CM Naveen Patnaik further added, “We would like this association to help widen the net for Hockey in India and to ensure that all Indians get behind the national sport. We hope that Odisha’s association with national hockey coincides with a golden period for the sport. We are looking forward to all the nations playing the Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneshwar this year. We extend a warm invite to everyone to see team India in actio
The newly designed logo on the Indian national hockey team jersey is a summation of Odisha. At it’s heart the Konark Wheel: a symbol of progress and empowerment, the land of the rising sun, the famed coastline that has for centuries been a trade route and even today welcomes the endangered Olive Ridley turtles, the Odissi dance form and of course hockey – which unites the entire state.
Hanking the state government for its continuous support, FIH and IOA President Batra called Bhubaneswar as the sports capital of India.””I would request the Govt of Odisha to come up with a High Performance Centre for elite athletes. Like Delhi is the capital of India, Bombay the financial capital of the country, Bengaluru IT capital, for me Bhubaneswar is the sports capital of the country,” Batra said.
He also requested the Odisha government to built a state-of-the-art High Performance Centre for elite athletes of the country.
ormer captain Dilip Tirkey ,now a Rajya Sabha member, said that his state government has started a trend of sponsoring national teams which earlier had private companies as sponsors.
He hoped that more state governments should come forward to support various sporting disciplines.