BHUBANESWAR: Despite the Indian Hockey team not being in action Thursday, hockey lovers of the city came out in droves to watch Argentina vs Spain and New Zealand vs France at Kalinga stadium. After the festivities of the inaugural ceremony, the focus has now turned towards the sport.
Several fans at the stadium were seen donning the colours of India and other nations. The brand new concept of ‘Fan Village’ is paying rich dividends as lovers of the sport are getting to relax, take selfies and interact with their favourite players at a dedicated spot.
Filled with a host of fun places like food court and live music show, the Fan Village keeps the audience engaged before and after the matches. Those with tickets or passes are allowed to go into the Fan Village. Lucky ones might even get to meet players, shake hands and talk to them when they come out of the practice arena.
The Fan Village, beaing a first-of-its-kind initiative, houses various food stalls, selfie stands and mascot Olly among other facilities. It has a dedicated section where fans can play hockey, watch live music performances and even take cycles on rent for a ride around the stadium.
Students of several city schools had also turned up to watch the mathches Thursday. Harsh Patnaik, a student of Government High School, Bhubaneswar, said that this was his first experience at the stadium and he wants India to go all the way and clinch the trophy in December.
Deheri, an ardent hockey fan, designed his hair with the world cup trophy, hockey stick, ball and the logo of My heart beats for hockey.
He said that he had done it hoping Team India to win the World Cup. “I spent Rs 1000 for this haircut. Odisha has never witnessed any sporting event of this scale. I feel very proud to have come all the way from Bargarh to witness it,” he said.