Odisha CM launches ‘Heart Beats for Hockey’ ahead of World Cup

Bhubaneswar: The ‘Heart Beats for Hockey’ campaign was launched by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here today ahead of the Hockey Men’s World Cup-2018 scheduled to be held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16.

The CM also unveiled the countdown clock for mega sporting event at the Kalinga Stadium.

“Hockey has a prominent place in the sports history of Odisha. Odisha has produced brilliant Hockey players who have brought laurels for the country at the international sports arena,” Patnaik said.

“The World Cup is Hockey’s highest ranking tournament. Therefore, my government is taking all the steps to organize it in a befitting manner and ensure that it’s a grand success,” he said.

The campaign, which will witness participation of the national hockey team, aims at garnering public support for hockey through music, entertainment, fashion, sport and panel discussions. It will will urge people to pledge their support to the game with the slogan, “My heart beats for hockey, does yours?”.

Besides, ‘Heartbeat Centres’ will be set up in selected cities across the country including Jalandhar, Lucknow, Ranchi, New Delhi, Chennai and others to promote the world cup.

As part of the campaign, specially designed hockey sticks will be installed and made available in six cities including Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Bhopal, Rourkela and Imphal. Additionally, two permanent installations at Kalinga Stadium will be made accessible to the masses.