First Time Ever National Game Hockey Is Getting Sponsored By A State

National Game Hockey for the first time is getting sponsored by a state. Odisha an eastern Indian state on the Bay of Bengal known for its Sun temple, its second largest mangrove ecosystem, its Chilika Lake (Asia's largest brackish water lake), oldest surviving dance form Odissi and last but not the least Game Hockey which actually is more than sports for the tribes in Odisha. Where you find kids playing with hockey sticks, in fact, the children start to walk with the help of the hockey stick says Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while announcing the sponsorship for national men and also women hockey team for coming five years. For the launch, along with the Minister, world hockey's body FIH, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Dhruv Batra and the Indian players Dhanraj Pillay, Viren Rasquinha and  Dilip Tirkey were also present there. Odisha has no doubt produced India's Best hockey players. Great players like  Dipsan Tirkey, Birendra Lakra and Namita Toppo are part of the hockey team.  The Chief Minister said,"We would like this association to help widen the net for hockey in India and to ensure that all Indians get behind the national sports."