Column: Indian hockey’s growth story, with a little help from Odisha-Sports News , Firstpost

Odisha is a state that loves its hockey. It is very much a part of our culture and tradition, and people here understand the nuances of the game pretty well. I still remember the day India’s men’s hockey team won the historic bronze at Tokyo Olympics. All my staff and most people I know woke up early and watched the match in their houses, and the only conversation we had throughout the day revolved around the India-Germany match. More than the result, I think what captured the attention of people here was the way India played.

I am no sports expert, but the level of confidence and skill that this team showed in Tokyo is something I have not seen in a long, long time. I think they played like winners and they deservedly came home with a medal. It means so much to Odisha, as it does to the rest of the country. As I said, people here understand their hockey, so one could sense the general happiness when the bronze medal match was won. It would have been great had we played the final, but I hope this is the starting of a new era in Indian hockey.

A lot of people are now recognising and appreciating Odisha government’s support for hockey. But it is not like we suddenly woke up one day to the potential that the state possesses. We were always blessed with belts like Sundergarh that have produced so many talented international players, but we didn’t always have the right infrastructure. That has changed big time. The biggest push though has come from the tremendous interest that locals have in hockey.

We have organised so many top tournaments at the Kalinga Stadium, and we are always pleasantly surprised to see the crowds turning up in full capacity for each game. I have witnessed crowds in Kalinga even during pouring rain. They would just hold their umbrellas and relish the game; that’s the kind of love they have for hockey.

So, in a way, supporting our hockey teams is Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s way of honouring the people’s sentiments and wishes.

The idea to sponsor hockey teams germinated from a very simple and pure sentiment — to support this beautiful game and encourage more people to take up hockey. On a personal front, the Chief Minister has a special place for hockey because he played as a goalkeeper in his school days.

Although hockey has always been an important part of Odisha, things began to move only in 2014 when we hosted the Champions Trophy. There was also a series against Japan that we hosted at the Kalinga, and then the Hockey India League started. Odisha was the only state where the state government was having its club team, Kalinga Lancers, in the Hockey India League, and we also won the last stage of the league. So, the relation with Hockey India was developing over a period of time.

When it was announced that we’ll be sponsoring the national hockey teams, not everyone took it kindly. We had our share of criticism. People didn’t see much financial merit in it, and there was no precedent of a state becoming an official sponsor of a team. But once we decided we are going ahead, there was no looking back. So, in spite of all the doubts, here we are. The entire country now knows that the decision that was taken at that time was really the right one.

Being so closely associated with a sports team means you ride their emotions. I remember the disappointment all of us felt when the men’s team lost the quarter-finals here at the World Cup in 2018. Nevertheless, we were happy with the way our team played. Of course, there can be post-mortem in hindsight, but the public, in general, was also quite happy with some of the performances. What I mean to say is that in our minds, there were never any second thoughts or doubts. We never thought that it was perhaps not wise to spend on this team.

The men’s team, especially, spend a lot of time in Bhubaneswar. They are like a family to us, and we can see how much effort they put in every training session, even when no one is watching. We have seen them rise through the FIH ranks, and it gives us immense satisfaction to have played a small part in their journey. So far, we have spent roughly Rs 140 crore over five years on the men and women senior and junior national teams, besides developing the infrastructure.

Odisha showering all their love on our #Tokyo2020 stars. ????

Thank you, @sports_odisha. ????#IndiaKaGame #HaiTayyar #WeAreTeamIndia #Tokyo2020

1/4 pic.twitter.com/efK3kEedB2

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 17, 2021

So far, the state department has four astro turfs, while one more is almost ready. In the private sector, there are another two, so you can say roughly we have around seven artificial turfs in the state today. There’s also India’s largest hockey stadium coming up in Rourkela at a cost of Rs 130 crore. We are also constructing 20 hockey training centers at a cost of Rs 200 crores, and most of this development work is happening in the Sundergarh belt that is renowned for producing skillful hockey players. We understand that it is important for our kids to start playing on the turf early so that their critical years are shaped well.

I would like to also mention here that hockey is only one part of our journey in sports. The chief minister believes that investment in sports is an investment in youth. It’s about building an overall sports culture. We have a larger vision, and becoming a hockey powerhouse is only one part of the larger scheme of things. We are also supporting football, and we have a very good relationship with the AIFF. We support India’s youth teams in football and we have very good quality, FIFA level grounds for them. So they are also now an integral part of our ecosystem where we work the way we have been doing it for hockey. And going forward, we will also be very closely associated with the men’s national team.

We have a similar kind of agreement with Rugby India. A lot of people are astounded when they learn that we are supporting rugby, but the Indian men’s team has a great potential to do well in rugby. Many players in the Indian rugby team are from Odisha. Soon, some South African coaches will come and coach the Indian rugby team here in Odisha. So it’s not just about hockey; we are trying to see how we can support sports overall.

Once again, I would like to congratulate Hockey India and national teams to make us proud. We have only heard of the exploits of our great hockey teams, but thanks to our men’s and women’s teams, we have seen something special in Tokyo. I wish them all the best, and assure them of every support possible.

Vineel Krishna is an IAS officer, currently serving the Odisha government as Secretary Sports and Youth. He spoke to Shantanu Srivastava.