Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: With just 90 days to go for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup-2018, to be held at the Kalinga Stadium here, excitement is palpable among the lovers of the game. Work is on 24X7 to ensure that all those, who visit the city to enjoy the mega sporting event, leave with fond memories. With the Indian Hockey team performing well at international events, fans are eagerly waiting for a great show by the men in blue.
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The State Government is expecting a large number of spectators for the event, which will start from November 28. Accordingly, the venue of the event has been given a major facelift. Two new galleries (North and South) have been built at the stadium to accommodate more spectators.
All the four galleries at the stadium have been spruced up with new chairs and the seating capacity has been increased from 8,000 to 15,000. Work on the relay turf is almost complete. The general tickets for the event, reasonably priced at Rs 200 (East stand), Rs100 (North stand) and Rs100 (South stand) for the pool and crossover matches, are up for sale. The tickets for the inaugural day matches are already sold out online on www.ticketgenie.in. Besides, the roads inside Kalinga Stadium have been widened while construction of new entry gates will be completed before the second week of September. The Government, in order to ensure smooth conduct of the event, is constructing two foot overbridges between gate no 2 and 5. The work will be completed by the third week of September. The major roads in the Capital will have free wi-fi zones.
The installation of wi-fi will be completed well before the event, said Sports and Youth Services Department Director Vineel Krishna. Secretary of the department, Vishal Dev said hosting the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup-2018 is an important part of the State Government’s plan to popularise hockey in the country. “Everyone is working tirelessly to make this event a huge success,” he added. The opening match of the tournament will see World no 3 Belgium take on World no 11 Canada on November 28 while host India will also open their campaign on the same day against South Africa.
