Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium
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 A view of the stadium in 2023 | |
 Interactive map of Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium | |
| Full name | Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Rourkela, Odisha, India |
| Coordinates | 22°14′43.17″N 84°48′49.2192″E / 22.2453250°N 84.813672000°E |
| Owner | Government of Odisha |
| Operator | Department of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS) |
| Capacity | 21,800 [1] |
| Surface | Astro-Turf |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 5 January 2023[2] |
| Construction cost | ₹260 Crore ($31 million)[3] |
| Tenants | |
| India men's national field hockey team | |
The Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium is an international field hockey stadium situated at Rourkela, India.[4][5] The stadium has been named after the tribal leader, Birsa Munda, who was a famous freedom fighter from Khunti, Jharkhand. With a seating capacity of 21,800[6] permanent seats, it is officially recognised by the Guinness World Records as the largest fully seated hockey arena in the world on January 29, 2023.[7][8][9]
When India was bidding for the 2023 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup, it was decided that another hockey stadium would be built in Odisha. The government then allotted 6 hectares of land for building the stadium.[4][10] The responsibility of constructing the stadium was handed over to Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO).[4] The chairman of IDCO, Sanjay Kumar Singh, also said, "The Government of Odisha has assigned us to construct a world class stadium for the Men's Hockey World Cup 2023 within the given timeline of 12 months." The foundation stone of the stadium was laid by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik in February 2021.[11] It was inaugurated by Chief Minister Patnaik on 5 January 2023.[2]
It is also the fourth largest field hockey stadium in the world.[12] Unlike the other top three stadiums, which are terrace stadiums and are part of multi-purpose sports complex, this stadium is the largest all-seater field hockey-specific stadium which was solely constructed for conducting field hockey matches.[13]
