As Odisha prepares to host the men’s hockey World Cup 2018 here in November, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to notify hockey as the national game of India.
Patnaik, while reviewing the preparations, said he “was surprised and shocked to know that what is popularly known as the national game — hockey, has in fact never been notified as our national game”.
Fans deserve it
“Hence I am sure you will agree with the fans that hockey truly deserves to be notified as our national game.
“This will be a fitting tribute to the great hockey players who have made our country proud.
“It will also inspire our future generations,” said Patnaik in his letter to Modi.
“Cutting across different strata of society and regions, cutting across the rural-urban divide, hockey is hugely popular. In the tribal areas of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, hockey is a way of life,” he added.
In fact, in a first of its kind, Odisha is sponsoring the national hockey teams for the next five years, he added.
