Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium

The Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium is an international field hockey stadium situated at Rourkela, India.[4][5] The stadium has been named after the tribal leader, Birsa Munda, who was a famous freedom fighter. With a seating capacity of 20,011 permanent seats, it is officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the largest fully seated hockey arena in the world on January 29, 2023.[6][7][8]

Not to be confused with Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium.

Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium
Aerial view of the stadium in 2023
Full nameBirsa Munda International Hockey Stadium
LocationRourkela, Odisha, India
Coordinates22°14′43.17″N 84°48′49.2192″E
OwnerGovernment of Odisha
OperatorSports and Youth Services (DSYS)
Capacity21,800[1]
Construction
Opened5 January 2023[2]
Construction cost₹260 Crore ($31 million)[3]
Tenants
India men's national field hockey team

History

When India was bidding for the 2023 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup, it was decided that another hockey stadium would have to be built within Odisha. The government then allotted 15 acres of land for building the stadium.[4][9] The responsibility of constructing the stadium was then also handed over to Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO).[4] The chairman of IDCO, Sanjay Kumar Singh, also said, "The Government of Odisha has assigned us to construct a world class stadium for the Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 within the given timeline of 12 months." The foundation stone of the stadium was laid by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik in February 2021.[10] and was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik on 5 January 2023.[2]

It is also the fourth largest field hockey stadium in the world.[11] Unlike the other top three stadiums, which are terrace stadiums and are part of multi-purpose sports complex, this stadium is the largest all-seater field hockey-specific stadium which was solely constructed for the purpose of conducting field hockey matches.[12]

Hockey World Cup
Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium

The Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium was being built exclusively to host the 2023 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup. This was the fourth time India hosted this event and it was also the second time the world cup hosted in Odisha. The 2023 version of the cup held jointly between two cities in the state of Odisha, Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. Along with the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar was the other venue for the event.[4]

Events

International
Event Year Organiser Dates
2023 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup 2023 Hockey India 13–29 January 2023
2022–23 Men's FIH Pro League 2023 10–15 March 2023
2023–24 Women's FIH Pro League 2024 10–25 February 2024 (Future Event)

National
Event Year Organiser Dates
Sub-junior Women's National Championship 2023 Hockey India 4–14 May 2023
Sub-junior Men's National Championship 2023 18–28 May 2023

References
  1. "Birsa Munda Stadium Is World's Largest Hockey Stadium: FIH President". sambadenglish.com. Sambad. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  2. Sahni, Jaspreet (6 January 2023). "Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium: Rourkela joins list of world's biggest hockey stadiums". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  3. "Tribal welfare on lips, Naveen gives Rs 3,958 crore push to Sundargarh". www.newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  4. "Hockey's multi-crore dream: The Rourkela stadium for 2023 World Cup". timesofindia.indiatimes.com/. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  5. "Odisha CM Lays Foundation of India's Largest Hockey Stadium named after 'Birsa Munda' In Rourkela". www.indiatoday.in. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  6. "Largest fully seated hockey stadium". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  7. Nalwala, Ali Asgar (12 March 2023). "Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium: All you need to know". Olympics. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  8. Panda, Sudeshna (29 January 2023). "WATCH: Birsa Munda Stadium enters Guinness World Records for largest hockey stadium". KalingaTV. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  9. "BJD gears up ahead of CM Naveen Patnaik's visit to Sundargarh". www.newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  10. "Odisha CM lays foundation stone of India's largest hockey stadium in Rourkela". www.hindustantimes.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  11. Ansari, Aarish (2 January 2023). "World's largest field hockey stadium: Lahore's National Hockey Stadium is No. 1". www.olympicchannel.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  12. Swain, Biswajeet (6 January 2023). "Is Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium Of Rourkela World's Largest? Here's What Odisha Minister Said". sambadenglish.com. Sambad English. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
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