Bhubneswar: With less than 50 days left for the start of the highly-anticipated FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, Hockey India announced a Trophy Tour, during which the prestigious World Cup trophy will be taken across various parts of the country.
The tour will officially kick off from December 5 with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik handing over the trophy to Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey in Bhubaneswar.
The prestigious trophy will travel across 12 states and one Union territory, before returning to Bhubaneswar.
The 21-day tour will see the trophy move across West Bengal (Dec 6), Manipur (Dec 7), Assam (Dec 8), Jharkhand (Dec 10 and 11), Uttar Pradesh (Dec 12), Punjab (Dec 13), Haryana (Dec 15), New Delhi (Dec 16 and 17), Madhya Pradesh (Dec 18), Maharashtra Dec 20), Tamil Nadu (Dec 21), Kerala, and Karnataka (Dec 24), before finally returning to Odisha on December 25, after which, the trophy will go on a tour of Odisha.
Addressing the Trophy Tour, Tirkey said, “The idea behind the initiative is to give the hockey fans across parts of the country an opportunity to have a glimpse of the prestigious trophy that all the teams will be competing for.”
“The Indian fans have always been passionate about hockey and will be eager to cheer for their home team in the upcoming tournament. We believe the tour will give the fans a chance to stay connected with the sport and send their best wishes to the Indian team before they begin the campaign,” he said.
The World Cup will begin from 13 January next. Hosts India, who are placed in Pool D, along with Spain, England, and Wales, will open their campaign against Spain on January 13.
Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, India, Argentina, Germany, New Zealand, England, France, Korea, Malaysia, Spain, South Africa, Japan, Chile, and Wales are the 16 teams, who will be competing in the tournament.
