Odisha to host the FIH hockey men's junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar later this year

On the back of successfully hosting the 2018 men’s Hockey World Cup, the temple city of Bhubaneswar will stage the prestigious FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup later this year. This marquee event in the international hockey calendar will be held from 24th November to 5th December this year. It will feature 16 teams which are hosts India, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt, Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, USA, Canada, Chile and Argentina. The much-awaited announcement was made in Bhubaneswar on Thursday by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Odisha, Naveen Patnaik. He made the announcement in the presence of Hon’ble Minister for Sports and Youth Services, Government of Odisha, Tusharkanti Behera, FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra and Hockey India Secretary General Rajinder Singh.

While Odisha is also gearing up to host the 2023 FIH men’s Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik accepted the proposal to host the FIH Odisha Hockey men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 starting in November. He also launched the logo for the prestigious event. “Odisha is the hub for hockey in the country and the Odisha State Government will continue to do everything in our capacity to help the sport grow further and achieve further laurels on the world level,” Patnaik added.

“We look forward to welcoming 16 top teams from across the world to participate in the FIH Odisha Hockey men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021. 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,” stated the Chief Minister.

‘The event will be held following all required Covid-19 protocols’

Meanwhile, Narinder Dhruv Batra, President, FIH, also expressed his satisfaction with Odisha being finalised as the hosts for the marquee event. “The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 is the pinnacle of tournaments for U-21 and is a very important fixture in the FIH calendar. We are delighted that Odisha with their world-class infrastructure are set to host an event of this magnitude. As always, we have been extended full support by the Odisha State Government and the event will be held following all required Covid-19 protocols.” added Batra.

Besides, Hockey India secretary general Rajinder Singh also spoke about the preparations for the FIH Odisha Hockey men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, which is less than three months away. He added: “It is a great honour for Hockey India to host back-to-back FIH Hockey Junior Men’s World Cup. In 2016, it was a memorable outing for us in Lucknow where India won the tournament beating Belgium in the Final. Hockey India over the years has organised several events of international importance in India and with the support of Odisha State Government, we are confident of organising yet another memorable event for the participating teams, officials and the fans.”