The often-raised grouse among hockey lovers that the national sport does not get enough funding ended when the Odisha government stepped in to sponsor the team after Sahara stepped back in 2018. The Rs 100 crore, five-year deal for the men’s and women’s national teams was extended recently for another 10 years by the state’s chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who also helmed the investment of a whopping Rs 1,000 crore that went into the planning and execution of the ongoing World Cup. This included the construction of a swanky, world-class 20,000-seater stadium at Rourkela, where 20 of the 44 matches are being held. The investment has been huge especially when compared to the Rs 70 crore that was spent on the 2018 World Cup which was held only in Bhubaneswar. Patnaik also awarded Rs 10 lakh to every Indian player and R5 lakh each to the support staff members after India clinched a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Odisha Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera