Kendrapara: The turtle lovers, researchers, wildlife activists and the people of Kendrapara thanked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, for once again declaring Olly alias Olive Ridley Sea Turtles as the official mascot for 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup.
It speaks about the concern for the conservation and protection of Olive Ridley sea turtle habitat in a global event.
It would be a befitting celebration of Olive Ridley turtles and the efforts to conserve their habitat, said Ganesh Samal, a turtle lover.
Olly represents the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles that travel thousands of miles in the ocean and arrive in millions every year on Odisha’s Rushikulya Devi mouth and Gahirmatha beaches for mass nesting.
The Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary is said to be the world’s largest rookery of the species as lakhs of Olive Ridley sea turtles come en-mass to the golden beaches of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary to lay eggs.
As Olly has been named the mascot, this also signifies and emphasizes the relationship between Odisha and Ridley Olive, said Manas Kumar Das, the Ranger of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
A mascot is a depiction of a person, animal, or thing that is lucky or auspicious for a particular event. It promotes the event, emphasizes its significance related to the region, and lends support to it.
The Hockey World Cup is one of the important sporting events thus the presence of a mascot is a must for various reasons. The Hockey World Cup ranks among the largest sporting occasions of the year, said Madkar Sandeep Sampat, the SP of Kendrapada.
The Men's Hockey World Cup for 2023 will be the 15th edition of the Men's FIH Hockey World Cup which will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29 January 2023.
A total of 16 teams will be competing with each other for the prestigious title of World Cup in field hockey. The 15th edition of the competition will feature India competing in Group D along with Spain, England, and Wales, said Lokanath Panigrahi, the District Sports officer.
The Chief Minister on his official Twitter page in May 2021 had appealed to everyone to engage themselves in protecting the nesting habitats of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle.
This shows his concern for the endangered marine turtle, wildlife lovers said.
Patnaik had announced Turtle ‘Olly’ as the official mascot for the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup held at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium from November 28 to December 16, 2018.
It was also the mascot for Asian Athletics Championships held in Odisha in 2017.
“It will be a befitting celebration of Olive Ridley turtles and our efforts to conserve their habitat”, said the DFO of Rajnagar Mangrove forest and wildlife Division.
Odisha will host the prestigious Hockey World Cup in 2023 for a second time in a row, and Olly has once again been welcomed as the tournament’s mascot.
This will support, empower, and serve as the tournament’s main draw, stated Kendrapara District Collector Amrit Ruturaj, while celebrating the Hockey World Cup Trophy for public view here. (UNI)
