Cyclone Fani hit the coastal state of Odisha causing widespread havoc and heavy loss to infrastructure. In that sense, it was obvious for the hockey fans across the country to ponder whether the Kalinga stadium would be able to host the FIH Hockey Series finals which will commence on June 6.
But, Hockey India has put all these rumors to bed. “I don’t know from where these reports come from but we absolutely had no discussions with Odisha government about shifting the venue,” a top HI official told PTI.
“We are in touch with the Odisha government officials and we have been informed that the extent of damage in the hockey stadium is minimal. Hockey India officials will also travel to Bhubaneswar this week to assess the condition of the turf and take stock of the situation at the official team hotels.”
The FIH Hockey Series Finals will run for twelve days from June 6 to June 15. Eight countries- Japan, Poland, Mexico, South Africa, USA, Russia, Uzbekistan, and hosts India- will take part in the competition which also acts as the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Qualifiers. There are two Olympic quotas up for grabs which will be awarded to the winners and runners-up of the tournament.
