By Biswa Bhusan Mohapatra Bhubaneswar : , Nov 24, 2009: The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup was declared open by Ganeshi Lal, the Governor of Odisha.This was at the opening ceremony that took place at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium.
Tusharkanti Bhera, Odisha’s Sports & Youth Services minister, Narinder Dhruv Batra (President of FIH), Dilip Tirkey, Chairman, Hockey Promotion Council Odisha and Gyanendro Ningombam (President of Hockey India) and Rajinder Singh (Secretary General, Hockey India) graced the occasion.
Batra presented the Governor a replica of the Junior World Cup Trophy as a token of appreciation and gratitude.
Ganeshi Lal wished all the teams the best for their campaigns at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup.He said he was extremely happy that Odisha was able to host this showpiece event.
Odisha has a deep relationship with Hockey.He said that the Sports have evolved over the years and Odisha has been a preferred centre for hockey.
“Odisha hosted the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018; it will again in 2023.It gives me immense joy that today we host the Junior World Cup, and I congratulate every player who has reached these stages,” said the Governor.
He was especially welcoming to the international guests who were visiting India for the first time.
Ningombam stated that they are delighted that the hockey celebrations have returned to Odisha.
The State is highly regarded for its extraordinary ability to host world-class sporting events.
This is one of most important events on the international hockey calendar.
We are eternally grateful to the Government of Odisha for their support of our sport.
Opening ceremony featured fireworks lighting up Bhubaneswar’s night sky.All 16 captains of the participating teams took photos with the trophy.
There were some exciting matches earlier in the day.Belgium beat South Africa 5-1 in their Pool A match, while Germany defeated Pakistan 5-2 in their Pool C match.Canada lost to Poland 0-1 their first Pool A match.
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