Hockey India has revealed the new jersey for the men’s national team ahead of the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar.
The Indian men’s hockey team is set to launch their 2018 Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup campaign in brand new colours. The new jersey and team blazer were unveiled at a special event in Mumbai.
The Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup slated from November 28 to December 16, 2018, at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar will feature the world’s top sixteen teams.
The collection was unveiled by the national team along with coach Harendra Singh, in the presence of legends Ajit Pal Singh, Ashok Kumar, Dhanraj Pillay, Dilip Tirkey, Sandeep Singh among others.
Designed by renowned fashion designer Narendra Kumar, the new collection aims to arm the Indian Team with that booster dose of confidence as they prepare to keep the cup at home. The design also encompasses the spirit of hockey being India’s game and is representative of how the National Team’s hearts beat for India, states the official release from Hockey India.
“The inspiration of the design is Odisha. The motif is symbolic of the sun, the sun temple at Konark and the Konark wheel. Odisha is where the sun rises in India and the sun is indeed rising on Indian hockey. It is this feeling of positivity and self-belief that the collections aims to inspire in the team,” Kumar said.
Indian skipper PR Sreejesh added, “The focus of the team is only to bring glory to India. We are enthusiastic about the new jersey and I hope it adds to the inspiration quotient of the team. I appeal to all Indians to give their heartbeat to hockey and support us this World Cup. In return we will give you our blood and sweat, and hopefully the World Cup.”
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The event also witnessed the launching of a digital platform – www.heartbeatsforhockey.com – aimed at garnering support for the game. ‘My Heart Beats for Hockey’ campaign, created by brand strategist Nupur Mahajan, was launched by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on August 29 to share the love and passion and love for hockey ahead of the 14th edition of the sports’ most coveted global quadrennial event.
The World Cup collection launch also saw a ‘Hockey Adda’, a curated on-ground discussion platform for hockey players and experts, which aims to popularize hockey. With the theme “Kal, Aaj, Kal”, many players of the national team for former players participated in the discussion forum.
Vishal Dev, state sports secretary and organising secretary of 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup, said the event is part of the series of major events planned in a run-up to the November event. “The trajectory of Hockey as a sport in India has attained a new high given the performances of the Indian hockey teams in recent years. We urge one and all to come to Odisha and support your hockey team,” said Dev.
This is the third time that India will be hosting the tournament after 1982 (Bombay) and 2010 (New Delhi).
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