In order to host the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in January 2023, the Odisha government expects to invest close to Rs 1,100 crore.
The FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 would cost Rs 1,100 billion in Odisha
2018’s staging of the last Hockey World Cup required only a 66.98 crore rupee investment from the state government. This time, the expenditure is Rs 1,098.40 crore, a 16-fold increase.
The Kalinga Hockey stadium in Bhubaneswar served as the sole venue for World Cup matches in 2018. But this time, Bhubaneswar and Rourkela will split hosting duties at the newly built Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium.
Official sources claim that the state is investing Rs 1,010 crore in the development of the Birsa Munda Hockey stadium and surrounding region in Rourkela city out of the total budget of Rs 1,098.40 crore.
The new stadium being built in Rourkela, which is nearing completion, is receiving the largest investment of Rs 875.78 crore. While Rs 84 crore would be used to create housing, Rourkela will receive Rs 10.50 crore for peripheral development work and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium will receive Rs 13 crore for electrical repairs.
To install artificial grass in the stadiums in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar, the government gave Hockey India Rs 17.50 crore.
75 crore rupees would be spent by the government on site administration, lodging, transportation, and media promotion.
Additionally, the state will invest Rs 9.15 crore for the construction of a swimming pool in Rourkela, Rs 5.39 crore for the installation of floodlights at Kalinga Stadium, and Rs 8 crore for the expansion of the west stand of the stadium, according to estimates made by the state’s department of sports.
In 2018, the Odisha government contributed Rs 25 crore as presenting partner rights fee to Hockey India/FIH, out of a total cost of Rs 66.98 crore (International Hockey Federation). During the last World Cup, just Rs 18.89 crore was spent on venue and event management. The remaining costs had been expended for travel, lodging, PR, and other expenses.
In order to make sure that the major event is even bigger and better than its previous iteration, the state government, which has been supporting the national hockey teams since 2018, has undertaken a number of projects.
The state will host a number of large-scale athletic and cultural activities around the state in an effort to make the tournament memorable for both the competing teams and regular inhabitants.
The World Cup will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29 of the following year.