Bhubaneswar, Jan 6 (PTI) Amid a row over the status of Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela among the major stadia across the globe, the Odisha government on Friday claimed that it is the world’s largest facility in terms of seating capacity and it was certified by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
The Rourkela facility will host the Men’s World Cup Hockey, organised by the FIH, along with Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The tournament will be held between January 13 and 29.
After Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the “world’s largest hockey stadium” in Rourkela on Thursday, a BJP MP contested the claim and asserted that it is actually the fourth.
Sports and Youth Affairs Minister T K Behera sought to clear the air over this.
“Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela is the world’s biggest. We are not saying this. It has been certified by FIH that the stadium is the biggest in terms of seating capacity,” Behera said.
BJP lawmaker Shankar Oram from Biramitrapur in Sundergarh district claimed that the National Hockey Stadium in Pakistan’s Lahore with a capacity of 45,000 people is the world’s largest.
It is followed by Chandigarh Hockey Stadium (30,000) and Weingart Stadium (multipurpose) in Los Angeles in the USA (22,355). Bisra Munda Hockey Stadium comes at number four, he said wondering how the chief minister called it the world’s largest.
Odisha’s Sports Secretary R Vaineel Krishna had earlier clarified to PTI that the Bisra Munda Hockey Stadium is the largest as 20,000 people can formally seat and witness a match which is not available anywhere in India.
Other stadia in India might have the capacity to accommodate more people but that includes “standing accommodation”, he said.
The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar has a seating arrangement for 15,000 people.
The minister said that the inauguration of the Birsa Munda Stadium has drawn the attention of the entire globe.
Odisha is now winning accolades for its sports infrastructure and its capability to host international sports events, the minister said adding that the Men’s Hockey World Cup is being hosted by Odisha for the second consecutive time after 2018.
The Birsa Munda Stadium also has a World Cup Village with 225 rooms to house 400 players and officials. Of the total 44 matches of the World Cup, 20 will be played in Rourkela. PTI AAM NN NN
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