The FIH Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 trophy tour began on Monday with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launching the trophy tour. He handed the trophy over to Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey in Bhubaneswar. The tournament will start on January 13 and will go on till January 29.
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Patnaik Wished the trophy tour a success. He said it would be a memorable World Cup for the teams and the fans. Patnaik said, "I hope the Hockey Men's World Cup Trophy Tour will build excitement for the World Cup across India. We will be hosting 16 teams and the matches will be played in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela." He also said it will be a memorable World Cup for the teams and the fans.
Meanwhile, Odisha Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera and Hockey, Secretary General Bholanath Singh, state sports secretary R. Vineel Krishna, executive director of Hockey India Srivastava, and officials and hockey players were also present at the event.
However, the trophy will travel to 13 states and one union territory including West Bengal, Assam, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu over the next 21 days before returning to Odisha on 25 December. Thus this will give the fans and public a chance to engage with the prestigious trophy before the winning team lifts it.
After returning to Odisha, the trophy will tour all the state districts. In the next 21-days, the trophy will journey across West Bengal, Manipur, Assam, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Chattisgarh.
Officials said that the FIH Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 trophy will also be taken to 17 blocks of Sundergarh district, which is famous for hockey. The last leg of the tour will be in Rourkela. After that, The trophy will return to the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The final will organize there on January 29, 2023.