The construction of the proposed largest hockey stadium in India began in Rourkela, Odisha with the foundation stone laying ceremony on Tuesday. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for the stadium.

The stadium in Rourkela will be named after Indian freedom fighter and tribal leader Birsa Munda. Rourkela is the co-host of the 2023 Men’s World Cup along with Bhubaneswar.

The proposed stadium site is located within the campus of Biju Patnaik University of Technology, a technical institute in Odisha. The stadium is being constructed adjacent to the Rourkela air strip, in which the commercial flight operations are expected to start soon.

The chaired seating capacity of Birsa Munda stadium will exceed 20000 spectators, making it the largest Hockey Stadium in the country (capacity-wise).