Bollywood superstars Ranveer Singh, Disha Patani, K-pop band Blackswan, and other various artists from the country dazzled at the Hockey World Cup 2023 opening ceremony in Cuttack on Wednesday.
Men's Hockey World Cup, 2023 got underway on Wednesday evening with a spectacular opening ceremony at the picturesque Barabati Stadium in Cuttack that thousands of hockey lovers in attendance from across the country and abroad witnessed.
Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, International Hockey Federation president Tayyab Ikram and Hockey India chairman Dilip Tirkey were present at the glittering ceremony to welcome members of all the 16 participating teams.
"This is a great moment to be hosting the hockey world cup & every Indian is excited to watch it!" said Shri , Union Minister of & , at the opening of the Celebrations event, expressing his excitement for ! pic.twitter.com/IBEKidZmYA
— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha)Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri expressed his immense delight with the way that the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup has returned to !
With the grand Celebrations lighting up the night sky, he has officially welcomed hockey home! pic.twitter.com/y4Yf0Qcplw
Ikram, in his address, complimented Odisha for hosting the mega event twice consecutively, the last one being in 2018, and called the state the "Land of Hockey".
📸Power-packed performance by Prince Dance Group at the grand celebrations of in Cuttack! pic.twitter.com/6b6oSQSUFf
— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha)Thakur thanked the Odisha government for successfully hosting the event in grandeur and said the enthusiasm of the people of India and the state showed their love for the game. He said the Centre will always support states hosting such sporting events.
Patnaik said Odisha has long been known for its hospitality and hoped every visitor takes back good memories of their stay in the state. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government for supporting Odisha in hosting the Men's Hockey World Cup twice consecutively.
The hour-long opening ceremony was preceded and succeeded by colourful cultural programmes mesmerising the packed audience.
The celebration began with a stunning tribal dance art of the state, a fusion of at least six local dance forms choreographed by eminent dance guru Aruna Mohanty.
Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh, Disha Patani, and K-pop band Blackswan enthralled the audience with their performances.
Power pack opening for the hockey world cup2023 pic.twitter.com/3tL0PcSOLo
— Ayush Dwivedi (@dayush18)The majestic Disha Patani enthralled the crowd present at the Barabati Stadium with her mesmerizing performance during celebrations of . pic.twitter.com/ipyWUXlrsj
— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha)BLACKSWAN performing ‘Over & Over’ at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023
It’s their first performance with the new lineup pic.twitter.com/0rRIDPz6RM
Odia singers Sniti Mishra, Rituraj Mohanty, Lisa Mishra and a host of other performers, including actor-couple Sabyasachi Mishra and Archita Sahu, too charmed the spectators.
Mindblowing performance from Power couple & . pic.twitter.com/l0dDZqfywP
— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha)'s mesmerizing voice hits the right notes 😍 pic.twitter.com/Tk0i8cjgpV
— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha).'s phenomenal energy & mind-blowing performance enthralled the audience at the celebrations of . pic.twitter.com/5SyLYH52hp
— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha)Sixteen fan parks were set up at important locations across the city where thousands of hockey lovers and enthusiasts witnessed the opening ceremony on giant screens.
Hundreds of singers from Bollywood and local artists sang the Hockey World Cup theme song composed by music director Pritam, who also performed on the stage along with some other singers.
Music maestro and the ensemble took the Celebrations to a whole new level with their soulful music! pic.twitter.com/aexjl1FdS1
— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha)The matches will be held at two venues -- Birsa Mundra Hockey Stadium in Rourkela and Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar -- from January 13 to January 29.
While 20 matches will be played at Rourkela, 24 matches, including the final, will be held in Bhubaneswar. The state government has built a new hockey stadium in Rourkela ahead of the event.
Odisha is hosting the international event for the second consecutive time, the previous one having been held in Bhubaneswar in 2018.
(With inputs from PTI)