Odisha to host FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar from Nov 24

After successfully hosting the 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup, Bhubaneswar will stage the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup from 24th November to 5th December, 2021.

The announcement was made in Bhubaneswar on Thursday by Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

This marquee event in the international hockey calendar will feature 16 teams which are: India, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt, Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, USA, Canada, Chile and Argentina.

Also read: Odisha CM felicitates Indian Under-18 Girls’ rugby team

While Odisha is also gearing up to host the 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, CM Naveen Patnaik accepted the proposal to host the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in November. He also launched the logo and trophy for the event.

“Odisha is the hub for hockey in the country and the Odisha state government will continue to do everything in its capacity to help the sport grow further and achieve more laurels on the world level. We look forward to welcoming 16 top teams from across the world to participate in the event in Bhubaneswar. We are delighted to be hosts of this prestigious tournament. Our priority will be to ensure a safe environment to compete during these challenging Covid times,” CM Patnaik said.

“Over the last decade, we have been working closely with Hockey India for the development of hockey. All these efforts have led to the historic success for both women and men hockey teams at Tokyo Olympics Odisha will continue to be a part of this journey of Indian hockey,” the CM said

He also said that hockey has a special place among sports in Odisha. “Hockey players from our state led the country in many international tournaments. The Hockey World Cup in January 2023 will be a landmark event and will provide further momentum for hockey development in the country.”