Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will extend the sponsorship of the Hockey India team for another three years until 2036, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced.
The Chief Minister disclosed this when Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey and Secretary General Bholanath Singh met him during a courtesy call at the state guest house on Friday.
Both Tirkey and Singh told the Chief Minister that hockey has given a new identity to Odisha on the world map, and the state has played a commendable role in the development of the Indian hockey team. They also promised to extend full cooperation to the state government to take hockey to the next phase of development.
Majhi stated that since the Odisha government is contemplating celebrating the 100th anniversary of the state's formation in 2036, the government will further extend the sponsorship for another three years, from 2033 to 2036.
The Odisha government has been sponsoring the Indian hockey team since 2018, and the previous BJD government had announced a ten-year sponsorship for the Hockey India team until 2033.
Odisha Sports Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, Chief Secretary P. K. Jena, and Sports Secretary Vineel Krishna, along with other senior officers, were present on the occasion.