From Rs 500-crore stadium to 225-room 4-star lodging: Rourkela gears up to host FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023

The FIH Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 will begin on January 13, and Odisha will host the quadrennial tournament for the second time in a row.

However, unlike the previous edition, where all Hockey World Cup matches were held in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, the newly-built Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela would serve as the second site for the Hockey World Cup 2023.

Rourkela will host 20 of the 44 hockey World Cup matches, with Bhubaneswar hosting the remaining 24 matches, including the final.

The Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, one of India's largest hockey arenas, can hold over 20,000 people.

The stadium, named after Indian freedom warrior Birsa Munda, is spread on 15 acres of ground on the campus of Biju Patnaik University of Technology in Odisha's Sundergarh district.

Despite the fact that the stadium is nearly finished, construction workers remain on the job. Cranes are in position to repair the aluminum facade and glass windows, as well as to complete additional structural work. Other employees are scrambling to complete auxiliary work, roads, grass, and parking lots on the property.

Get ready for the biggest hockey event of the year 2023! 

The #HockeyMensWorldCup2023 is coming to Steel City, Rourkela, Odisha and we are pumped to host the best teams in the world.

Let's cheer @TheHockeyIndia and make this a tournament to remember!@RourkelaMC pic.twitter.com/23XU5xeidy

— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) December 27, 2022

The project manager informed Indian Express that work had been finished in 15 months after the project began in August 2021.

Each seat is intended to provide an uninterrupted view, and here spectators can be closer to the pitch than in any other stadium in the world. Nearly 3,600 tonnes of structural steel and 4,000 tonnes of TMT steel were used in the construction, the engineer who wished to remain unnamed told Indian Express.

The state's BJD administration has not provided specific costs, however sports minister Tusharkanti Behera said that Rs 875 crore was spent on the construction of the new stadium and renovation of the existing one. Another official said over Rs 500 crore was spent in building the new stadium.

Players have access to accommodations, the main stadium,  practice field,  swimming pool, and a gym, which are all nearby. Additionally, 225 rooms in the 4-star category have been built by the government, and the Taj Group will be in charge of running them throughout the tournament. Over Rs 84 crore, according to support staff and authorities, was spent on developing accommodation for players.

The Sundargarh district administration has booked rooms in 100 government guest houses in the city for the duration of the tournament. The Biju Patnaik University of Technology has updated its staff quarters to use as temporary housing options.

A shuttle service for travelers arriving at the Jharsuguda airport is also being planned by the authorities. Wider roads and better drainage have already been implemented in Rourkela, and the government will add 25 buses to increase mobility throughout the event.

CCTVs and statues have been installed to improve security and traffic management, while artworks all across Rourkela feature illustrious hockey players or notable Odia figures.

This will be India's fourth time hosting the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup overall. While the national capital New Delhi hosted it in 2010, the 1982 edition was held in Mumbai.

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