By Naveen Patnaik is an exceptional politician in India’s corruption-infested politics. He has also made a sincere and sustained endeavour to change the state of hockey in India, which is refreshing in a country where the majority of the people are crazy about cricket but routinely ignore all other sports.
In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say that the support of the Odisha government has played a significant role in India’s winning a medal in hockey in the Tokyo Olympics, after a long gap of 41 years. Though in the Moscow Olympics in 1980, India’s men’s hockey team won its last Olympic gold, even a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics can act as a great impetus to the process of revival of hockey in India, in which the longest serving Chief Minister of Odisha has been playing a crucial role.
Sponsoring Players
Naveen Patnaik’s love for hockey dates back six decades, when as a student at Doon School, he played hockey as a goalkeeper. Since 2018, the Odisha government has been the official sponsor for both the men’s and women’s national hockey teams (both at senior and junior levels). In 2018, the Odisha government entered into a Rs.100 crore deal with Hockey India to sponsor the men’s and women’s national hockey teams for the next five years.
This initiative of Naveen Patnaik is unique in the sense that in 2018, Odisha government became the first state government in India to sponsor a national sports team. In early 2018, the Odisha government introduced its sporting logo, signing a five-year sponsorship agreement with Hockey India.
In fact, the state government stepped in as sponsor when business group Sahara withdrew. What is more heartening is that the Odisha government has further extended its sponsorship for both men’s and women’s national hockey teams (senior and junior) for another ten years, that is from 2023 to 2033.
This constant support to India’s national hockey teams is expected to immensely help towards the growth and development of hockey in India; a sport which till recent years was languishing in neglect in our country despite fetching eight gold, one silver and three bronze medals in Olympics for India.
Events and Rewards
In 2018, Odisha hosted the Men’s Hockey World Cup at its then newly built Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The 2023 edition of the tournament was also held in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, and in Rourkela. The 35th edition of the Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy was also held from 6th to 14th December 2014 in Bhubaneswar.
The Odisha government awarded Rs.10 lakh to each player of the Tokyo Olympics’s bronze medal-winning men’s national hockey team of India and also to each player of the women’s national hockey team of India who narrowly missed a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The state government gave each of the teams’ support staff Rs.5 lakh.
Naveen Patnaik also announced a cash award of Rs. 1.5 crore for the defender Amit Rohidas, who hails from Odisha, for his role in winning India’s gold medal in men’s hockey at the recently held 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. Amit Rohidas plays as a defender in India’s national hockey team.
“Amit Rohidas’ remarkable achievements exemplify the spirit of perseverance and excellence. He has become a symbol of hope and pride for aspiring athletes in our state and beyond. His success story resonates with every individual striving to achieve greatness, and we are immensely proud of his accomplishments,” Patnaik said in a statement while announcing the reward. The Chief Minister’s words full of encouragement can inspire many potential talented hockey players in India to excel further and rise in the game of hockey. No wonder hockey is the most popular sport in the coastal state of Odisha, an exception of sorts in a country of cricket lovers.
Impressive Infrastructure
However, the Chief Minister of Odisha is not only extending support to Indian hockey through monetary rewards. Odisha has emerged as a leading light among states in India in terms of sports infrastructure. In August 2019, Naveen Patnaik inaugurated an elite hockey academy named Naval Tata Hockey Academy (NTHA) in Bhubaneswar as part of the three-pronged Tata Odisha Hockey Programme – a joint initiative of Tata Steel, Tata Trusts and the Government of Odisha – with the objective to nurture quality hockey talent in Odisha.
However, hockey’s impressive infrastructure in Odisha is not confined to Bhubaneswar. Rourkela, an industrial city of Odisha, does not have impressive air connectivity and has five synthetic pitches for hockey. Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, which opened on 5th January 2023 and entails a construction cost of Rs.260 crore, has been officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest fully seated hockey arena. In this unique stadium, all seats are bucketed. It is also the fourth largest field hockey stadium in the world, with 20,011 permanent seats, and it was constructed solely for the purpose of hosting field hockey matches.
It is high time other states of India emulate Odisha’s commendable endeavours towards India’s national game. Only then can we expect a gold medal from India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams in Paris in the next year.
