GUWAHATI: The most prestigious competition in the game of hockey is all set to take place in the Indian state of Odisha from early next year and to attract more and more children and youth to this sport, the trophy is being taken on a tour across the country where it is being displayed at several key cities. Guwahati also managed to host the trophy on December 8, Thursday.
The trophy was carried around several important parts of the city with a huge group escorting it. Players and cultural groups were present as the trophy was kept in the Hockey stadium in Guwahati. According to the published schedule, the trophy will be revealed by the Assam chief minister and also be taken to the Kamakhya Temple before it leaves Assam for Jharkhand, which is next on the list for visits.
This year 16 countries are competing for this prestigious trophy. They have been divided into four pools. Pool A has Australia, Argentina, France and South Africa. Pool B consists of Belgium, Germany, Korea and Japan. Pool C has the Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia and Chile. Host India joins England, Spain and Wales in the Pool D of the competition.
Australia currently maintains the top position in the international rank table followed by Belgium and Netherlands. Host India is currently in the fifth spot on this list. Australia and South Africa will play the inaugural match on January 13 in the Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneshwar. The same stadium will host the final match on January 29. The Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium is the second venue of this tournament.
It is noteworthy that Odisha is hosting the tournament for the second time in a row. The government of Odisha is also the main sponsor for the Men's and Women's National Hockey teams of India since the year 2018.
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