Bhubaneswar, Dec 23 (IANS): Odisha government has decided to invite the Chief Ministers of all the states for the FIH men's hockey World Cup to be played at Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29 next year.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed this during an all-party meeting held here on Thursday for the smooth conduct of the mega event. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan also attended the meeting.
At the meeting, Patnaik sought cooperation from all the political parties for the successful hosting of the hockey World Cup.
The Chief Minister also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the cooperation of the Centre in the preparation of the World Cup.
Stating that hosting the World Cup is not only an honour for Odisha, but the whole country, Patnaik requested all the political parties to work in unison.
The leaders of various political parties attending the meeting expressed their gratitude for Odisha government's efforts towards the development of sports, saying that hosting the World Cup for the second consecutive time has increased Odisha's reputation in the entire world.
Pradhan praised the state government for the arrangements made and said that everyone should work together so that 100 Olympians can come out of Odisha when the state celebrates its centenary as a separate province in 2036.