Hockey StadiumShankar Oram, BJP MP from Biramitrapur in Sundargarh district claimed. That Pakistan’s National Hockey Stadium in Lahore with a capacity of 45,000 is the largest in the world. “Bisra Munda Hockey Stadium is number four”, he said.
Bhubaneswar:
Among major stadiums around the world in dispute over the status of Rourkela’s Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium. The Odisha government says it is the “world’s largest” hockey facility in terms of seating capacity and is certified by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
The Rourkela facility will host the Men’s World Cup of Hockey organized by the FIH along with the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
After Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the “world’s largest hockey stadium” in Rourkela on Thursday, a BJP MLA contested the claim and insisted that it was the “fourth”.
“The Birsa Munda hockey stadium in Rourkela is the biggest in the world. We are not saying that. It has been certified by FIH that the stadium is the biggest in terms of seating capacity,” said Sports and Youth Affairs Minister TK Behera.
Shankar Oram, BJP MP from Biramitrapur in Sundargarh district claimed that Pakistan’s National Hockey Stadium in Lahore with a capacity of 45,000 is the largest in the world.
It is followed by Chandigarh Hockey Stadium (30,000) and Weingert Stadium (Multipurpose) in Los Angeles, USA (22,355).
“Bisra Munda Hockey Stadium is number four”, he said, marveling at how the Chief Minister called it the “largest in the world”.
Odisha Sports Secretary R Vinil Krishna had earlier clarified to the Press Trust of India. That Bisra Munda Hockey Stadium is the biggest as 20,000 people can officially watch and witness a match which is not available anywhere in India.
The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar has a seating capacity of 15,000.
Birsa Munda Stadium also has a World Cup Village with 225 rooms to accommodate 400 players and officials. Out of the total 44 matches of the World Cup, 20 will be played in Rourkela.
