Trophy unveiling raises Hockey World Cup fever

BHUBANESWAR: With a little more than two weeks to go for the start of the tournament, the hockey World Cup trophy was unveiled by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and international hockey federation (FIH) president Narinder Batra at the Kalinga Stadium here on Monday.

The 14th edition of the World Cup will be played from November 28 to December 16 where 16 teams will vie for the title.

In addition, the coastal state, in furtherance of strengthening its sporting prowess, collaborated through the Sports and Youth Services Department with seven leading industrialists and signed Memorandum of Understandings (MOU).

The industrialists will help promote sports culture by sponsoring sporting disciplines.

“It is a great day not just for the state but for the country as well. This move was long overdue in order to fully develop the quality of sport and sportsmen in the country.

“By signing these Mous we have built a framework which will work towards sporting education, talent identification at grass root levels and infrastructural development at a global level,” Vishal Dev, commissioner-cum-secretary, Sports & Youth Services Department, said.

PAKISTAN FINALLY GET SPONSORS

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) may have turned its back on the national hockey team but timely help came in the form of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi. Javed Afridi, owner of Peshawar Zalmi and also CEO of Haier, Pakistan signed a sponsorship deal with the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) till 2020 in Lahore on Monday.

PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed was quoted as saying that the new sponsorship deal will cover all international tours of senior and junior national teams as well as domestic hockey.

The Pakistan hockey team, were in danger of missing the tournament after the PCB refused to extend a loan, citing previous loans that were never repaid.

The PHF had also requested the Imran Khan-led national government to bail them out. Desperate to keep the team in contention for the World Cup, the hockey federation had even requested the government to send the players’ dues directly to their accounts.

However, till Sunday, the government had not declared any grant.