Talent is either from birth or develops over time but converting passion into talent requires encouragement. A perfect example of this is Sundargarh, a district where hockey dwells in every street and every corner of the city. You will find young individuals with a hockey stick in hand and a vision to achieve great heights in hockey.
The state has always encouraged hockey which is the reason why India will host the Hockey World Cup for 2023 after the successful hosting of the 2018 Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar.
Birsa Munda International Hockey stadium
The 2023 Hockey world will have two venues which will be Bhuwenshwar and Rourkela. The Birsa Munda International Hockey stadium is the latest addition in Odisha which will be the biggest hockey stadium in the country. The upgraded International level Hockey stadium will have a seating capacity of 20,000 and is spread over 15 acres of land.
World’s best hockey talent from Sundargarh
In a nation where Cricket dominates, Sundargarh is still attached to the roots of our national sports and is keeping the game alive at ground level. The second-largest district in Odisha, Sundargarh, a major hotspot for Indian hockey has produced some of the world’s best hockey talent who has brought glory to the country on various platforms. One among them went on to play over 400 international games for India and featured in three Olympics. He goes by the name of Dilip Tirkey.
Slowly but steadily, Odisha has emerged as the new home for Indian hockey, with the Sundargarh region as its epicenter. The district has produced five national team captains which include Dilip Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey, and Prabodh Tirkey in the men’s team and Subhadra Pradhan and Jyoti Sunita Kulu in the women’s team. Sundargarh has also produced more than 60 international hockey players including Olympians Lazarus Barla, William Xalco, Birendra Lakra, and Sunita Lakra.
Khasi Cup – a tribal hockey tournament
One of the integral elements of the hockey culture is the Khasi Cup, an inter-and intra-village tribal hockey tournament. The special thing about the tournament is that the winning team is awarded a goat, as Khasi in Odia means goat.
The popular theory is that the European Christian missionaries introduced the sport to the tribes when they visited in the mid-19th century. Hockey became an integral part of the culture of Sundargarh and Odisha. Even though people are unaware of how hockey came to the land of Sundergarh, but to them, history doesn’t matter much because the game and the spirit hold the ultimate importance. They’re just glad that hockey’s been a part of their lives for several generations now.
WhatsApp us
Pingback: ufabtb