Bhubaneswar: With 24 days left for FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup to begin, the hockey mania has gripped Odisha. Long serpentine queues outside ticket counters in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela reflect the passion people of the state have developed over the years for Hockey.
A quick visit to any of these ticket kiosks will reflect a sense of disappointment as all the tickets for matches involving India have been sold out.
Secretary to CM (5T), VK Pandian, in an Instagram live stream on Tuesday informed that the tickets of India matches at Rourkela were sold out on day one, online. Similarly, the tickets at Bhubaneswar for India matches were sold within 48 hours.
However, tickets are matches involving foreign teams are available and people should take the same interest and turn in large numbers to watch the game, said Pandian.
“One should not be disappointed as there will be a gamut of interesting activities at the venues. From fan parks to selfie zones and interaction with international players, there will be loads of activities.”
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik does not want people to come to the venues for the match only. He wants it to be a memorable experience for the spectators, he added.
According to reports, there will be no opening ceremony this time as there will be matches on the inaugural day of the World Cup at both the venues (Bhubaneswar and Rourkela), said Pandian.
Hockey World Cup celebrations will be organised in all five Municipal Corporations of the State – Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela, and Sambalpur. The grand celebration among these will be held at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.
