Rourkela gears up for Hockey World Cup

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When Rourkela was announced to be the second venue of the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup, there were doubts about the completion of a brand-new stadium, for which the International Hockey Federation had set a deadline for November 30.

Since the foundation stone was laid two years ago on February 16, 2021, more than 1200 migrant workers from Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, have been toiling day and night to complete the construction, which can seat 21,000 and extends over 16 acres of land. The “Birsa Munda” stadium, as it is named, is to be inaugurated in January by the Chief Minister of Odisha and will be the largest hockey stadium in the nation.

It is also the second venue for the World Cup, along with the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneshwar, and 20 matches are expected to be played in it.

The primary stadium has now been completed, and it hosted a game between the junior teams of India and South Korea. However, work related to completion of the aluminium facades, glass windows, and the parking lot remains, and workers have been busy non-stop to complete it on time. According to the project manager Sabarish, the stadium has been constructed in a short span of 15 months and required the transformation of a large stretch of jungle, while adhering to Covid restrictions and successfully transporting construction materials like steel and synthetic turfs from Bhilai and Germany.

Overall, the stadium has required around 3,600 tonnes of structural steel and 4000 tonnes of TMT steel to build the stadium, where every seat has been guaranteed to have an uninterrupted view of the stadium.

While official numbers have not been provided, an estimated Rs 500 crore expenditure was incurred in the construction of the new stadium at Rourkela. An advantage provided by the stadium to the players is the proximity of facilities like the accommodation, practice pitch, swimming pool and gym, unlike the arrangements in other cities.

These will cater to the needs of 8 teams. In addition, the Rourkela Airport has been awarded a temporary license for public use by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, whereby 72-seater aircraft will be accessible. Overall, Rourkela is gearing up for the World Cup with some major transformation that also includes a shuttle service, renovated parks and fountains , improved drainage and a network of 60 hotels for visitors.