Hockey World Cup | 07 Jan 2023

Why in News?

Ahead of Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023, Odisha Chief Minister has inaugurated Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, one of the largest hockey stadiums in Rourkela.

  • The 15th edition International Hockey Federation (FIH) Hockey World Cup 2023 will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29.

What are the Key Points of the Hockey World Cup?

  • Conceived jointly by India and Pakistan as the premier standalone competition for hockey outside of the Olympics and approved by the International Hockey Federation in 1969, it still took 13 long years and four editions of the event to be held in the Indian subcontinent for the first time.
  • While the first edition in 1971 was allotted to Pakistan before being moved to Spain due to political and security issues, India was supposed to host in 1975 before governance issues forced it to be moved to Malaysia.
  • While the initial editions were held every two years, since 1982 the tournament has been held every four years, bisecting the Olympic cycle.
  • Pakistan was the inaugural world Cup winner, defeating Spain in 1971.
  • The last world Cup hockey was played in 2018, where Belgium was the winner by defeating the Netherlands.

What is International Hockey Federation?

  • FIH, founded in 1924, is responsible for field hockey’s major international tournaments, notably the World Cup.
  • It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
  • The FIH is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the sole ultimate governing body for the sport of Hockey throughout the world.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Years Question (PYQ)

Q. Consider the following statements in respect of the 32nd Summer Olympics: (2021)

  1. The official motto for this Olympics is ‘A New World’.
  2. Sport Climbing, Surfing, Skateboarding, Karate and Baseball are included in this Olympics.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (b)

Source: TH