The Men’s Hockey team captain Manpreet Singh has revealed that his team is in great stead as they make the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar, their prime target. He assured the fans that the plans have been set for the Men in Blue to achieve great things at the marquee event.
He highlighted how they will take one tournament at a time to prepare for the upcoming World Cup next year. “The countdown is on for us! Our plans are already in place, and we just have to approach step-by-step for the World Cup. We’ve had a wonderful 2021, and we look to capitalise on it as we have a lot of important tournaments scheduled in 2022. So, we will take one tournament at a time, and prepare ourselves fully to play the marquee event at our home,” said Manpreet Singh.
The FIH Hockey World Cup will be held in two cities- Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela, where the tournament will be held in a newly constructed stadium. Hockey India are once again collaborating with the Odisha government to host the quadrennial tournament. Manpreet Singh shares how big a thing it will be for them to play in front of fans once again. He shared his experiences from the 2018 World Cup and also highlighted how hockey frenzy the people of Odisha are in general.
“Playing in front of the crowd during the 2018 World Cup was one of the best experiences for us. The people from Odisha are very passionate about hockey and with two venues being utilised for the 2023 World Cup, I am sure it will be bigger and more exciting,” the Indian captain added.
The Indian Men’s Hockey team broke an age-old jinx at the Tokyo Olympics as they won the bronze medal by defeating Germany in the third-place fixture. However, they will look to continue their good run as a preparation for the big event next year.
This will be the historic fourth time India will host the FIH Hockey World Cup and Manpreet and his men are eager to rise up to that occasion. It will be extra special as India will be celebrating its 75th year of Independence.
“We will be playing the prestigious event at home for the record fourth time, but this time it will be extra special as our country will be celebrating 75 years of independence. We will be fortunate to play a tournament like the World Cup on our home soil in front of our own people,” concluded a spirited Manpreet Singh.
