The World Is Here Bhubaneswar2023
With just less than week until the stick roll the ball, Bhubaneswar is already enjoying the atmosphere of hosting the 15th edition of Hockey Men’s World Cup (HWC2023) for the second time consecutively with new AstroTurf as well refurbished venue Kalinga Stadium. Temple City is lucky to host the Game for the fourth time in India after Mumbai, New Delhi and Bhubaneswar.
In recent history Hockey is not a lavish event like football or cricket world cup that every other cities fought out to host it in their neighbourhood. But it’s the Odisha who has it’s past record of turning disasters into opportunities of development, have used the experience in making the state a sports venue for every other sports in Bhubaneswar and turning Rourkela from a scrap into gifting world with one of the largest Hockey stadium of the world in just fifteen months in and around COVID-19 Pandemic.
So it was an opportunity for the Pro Active Odisha Govt. to take the challenge and deliver the game in less than fifteen months time with setting up the stadium as well as for the first time a World Cup Village, just like Olympic Village is itself a benchmark for the future host of the Game Netherlands & Belgium the host of 2026 World bringing, as the city gears up for HWC2023.
The HWC2023 is going to be held in Bhubaneswar along with Rourkela this winter season with opening match is on 13th of January and the final is on 29th of January, where 16 nations including India are expected to secure their flight to Paris and join so far the lonely France who has made it to 2024 Olympic as host nation by winning the World Cup in Bhubaneswar. In the HWC2023 there are total 44 games will take place all together inside Kalinga Stadium and Birsa Munda Stadium respectively.
Well every major sports events have some advantages and disadvantages, so did HWC2023. There are advantages of holding the HWC2023 in Bhubaneswar the state capital of Odisha which holds seventh rank in the list of most-preferred business hotspots of India according to the world bank while the state desires to be among top three hotspots. The advantages of hosting such events are that it will boost economy and accelerate not just brand image but also development of sports infrastructure. In this process Bhubaneswar the host city is going to be a clean place because they aren’t a very clean at the moment.
The city have to lift their garbage, clean their streets, correct its transport system and create a brand image without delaying it or cancelling it. The provincial government is doing everything that it could do even beyond its capacity to make the game script a successful story of Bhubaneswar. They are going to make sure that there will not be any damage in terms of hosting the game rather standing at par with what Barcelona, Spain; Amstelveen, Utrecht, The Haque, Netherlands; Buenos Aires, Argentina; London, England; Sydney, Australia; are some of the past hosts did justice to the game. Another advantage is that it will send a message to these participating nations about tourism as well economic attractions of Odisha.
In Bhubaneswar people have always been the beating heart of the Hockey since it was announced, from the thousands of school children who help the Games Mascot Olly on its journey from Kalinga Stadium to the interior of Odisha World Cup Trophy tour finally back to host city and the volunteers who are ensuring that the Games work smoothly, to the hundreds of thousands of spectators who will fill the venues with noise, passion and colour and the millions of sports fans around the world who will, over the week in January likely remain glued to their Television screens. Same time Bhubaneswar, a city famous for its culture & heritage, the importance of its human spirit will be as evident as ever during the game.
On the wider security front, the Police Administration reinforced their commitment to safe and secure Games, with a combined security force of over thousands guaranteeing the security of the Games venue as well as hotels where players were accommodates and their movement along with the sports venues and key infrastructure, such as the city’s airports and main roads will ensure in securing the Game. Even in order to meet any possible hazards, the states disaster management agencies including fire services personnel were deployed in hotels as well as venues to build confidence among visitors that they are safe.
With the Games only a day away, the city of Bhubaneswar is getting dressed-up. Organisers and local authorities were keen to underline the Odia spirit that athletes, visitors and Games spectators will find in the city over this weekend. As well as seeing the World’s best athletes competing in an outstanding settings, spectators will be able to take advantage of the Games not just inside stadiums but also in some of the live sites; experience the Odisha culture & heritage in the Temples of Old Town, Hills of Dhauli and Caves of Khandagiri & Udaygiri; hang out at the beaches of Puri; and discover a city and people with an important cultural heritage and a reputation of having World Heritage Site at Koanrk and visiting into Nandankanan one of the India’s leading zoo.
As part of games legacy that HWC2023 the city is likely to get benefit from the infrastructure built inside the stadium and a message to the world by choosing “Olly” as Games Mascot representing Olive Ridley Turtles an endangered species that travels thousands of miles to nest in Odisha coast each year is perhaps the one single biggest message that Odisha, want to share its commitment towards conservation & environment. Apart from environment the sports venues that will become schools or sports facilities for local communities, training of thousands of workers and volunteers and investments in the city and local businesses that will make the city even more attractive in the years to come.
Of course there are advantages and disadvantages of holding the World Cup in a state where poverty reduction is priority of the Govt. still it decided to host the game second time consecutively and ready to deliver the game. Well there are few advantages but so do disadvantages too including dirty canals, filthy water bodies, inefficient waste management and public transport systems and sending a powerful message on climate change to the world by integrating some of the low carbon measures in games infrastructure.
However, these disadvantages will not hamper in games performance as it will be played inside stadium and not in city’s streets or multiple venues; means many won’t able to feel these disadvantages while they are in Bhubaneswar during the week. Same time the host city trying to get it fixed some of these disadvantages but in reality it won’t be fixed overnight, yet the Game will be delivered in its true spirit.
As the host city Bhubaneswar gearing up for the off season Puja Festival with lots of cultural activities on card. The city shouldn’t forget why it painted pedestrian path with green and parts of road with red for cyclists. Which means around the cultural wave hear is an opportunity to ignite a social transformation legacy by ensuring few thing’s that would add city’s disadvantages into advantages. First make sure both green pedestrian path and red painted cycling path remains obstruction free at least for the World Cup phase, which would atleast feed lot’s of input in understanding what works & what don’t. Second make sure city’s all zebra crossing are in perfect shape than high jump venue’s. Third encourage people to enter the stadium with their Bicycle as a VVIP to watch the game instead of VVIP cars. Fourth next fortnight make Mo Bus use complete free for commuters to ease traffic congestion.
Finally make Kalinga Stadium a neighbourhood with everything perfect from urban planning. point of view waking, to garbage disposal, into cycling that spectators would like to take back into their neighbourhood. Same time it would melt inside the 12 out 16 nation participating in World Cup, who are actually a nation of Pedestrian and Cyclists when they will discuss back home there is an Indian City Bhubaneswar an exceptional that really favours around Pedestrian & Cyclists.
Well Its not the time to ask was this the right choice to hold the Game in Bhubaneswar? rather the journey of Bhubaneswar is now entering its most decorated phase; celebration of the Games. Unlike 2018 edition when Bhubaneswar didn’t found it’s name inside venue is not the case in 2023. Rather Bhubaneswar2023 hastag. making its wave inside stadium, that would take long time across the Globe discussing brand value of temple city bid for securing a place among World Heritage Cities & sites list, a long due in waiting. The city & its citizens are obviously very proud that Temple City ready to welcome World and also see the transformation of everywhere assuring to deliver a great Games. The most important part of the Games that will be explored once the game is over as what they leave for the city legacy.
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