Hero’s welcome for members of Indian Hockey Teams in Odisha

The
hockey
players
received
a
rousing
welcome
on
their
arrival
at
the
Bhubaneswar
airport
where
state
Sports
and
Youth
Affairs
Minister
TK
Behera
and
former
Indian
Men’s
Hockey
captain
Dilip
Tirkkey
were
present
to
greet
them.

The
players
were
taken
on
two
separate
buses
to
a
hotel
where
they
will
relax
for
some
time
before
attending
the
state-level
felicitation
programme
to
be
attended
by
Chief
Minister
Naveen
Patnaik.

According
to
the
schedule,
the
team
will
have
lunch
at
the
hotel
and
then
have
an
interaction
with
journalists
before
leaving
for
the
Kalinga
Stadium.

Both
the
teams
will
have
a
photo
session
with
the
chief
minister
at
the
Kalinga
Stadium.

In
the
evening,
the
teams
will
leave
for
the
Lok
Seva
Bhavan
where
they
will
be
felicitated
by
Patnaik.

The
teams
are
also
scheduled
to
have
dinner
with
the
chief
minister
at
Kalinga
Stadium.

The
state
capital
was
decorated
to
welcome
the
Olympic
heroes
with
posters,
banners
and
hoarding
put
up
on
both
sides
of
the
roads
between
the
airport
and
their
hotel.

They
were
welcomed
by
blowing
conch
shells,
garlands
and
tika.

Besides,
Odisha’s
traditional
and
folk
dance
groups
performed
on
the
road
to
welcome
the
heroes.

The
people
of
Bhubaneswar,
mostly
students,
also
gathered
on
the
roadside
to
welcome
the
hockey
heroes.

The
Odisha
government
is
the
official
sponsor
of
the
Indian
Hockey
Teams
since
2018.
The
men’s
team
won
a
medal
at
the
Tokyo
Olympics
after
a
gap
of
41
years.