Bhubaneswar, March 9: The capital city is all set to host a major national-level hockey championship from tomorrow till March 13.

Matches of the 73rd All India Railway Hockey Championship will be held at the Kalinga Stadium. The tournament is being organised by the East Coast Railway, the matches will be played till March 13.

Hockey fans of Odisha will get to witness a number of national as well as international hockey players in action during the event. More than 200 players and officials will be coming from different parts of the country to participate in the championship.

A number of outstanding hockey players, including Arjuna awardees are expected to showcase their stick skills in the upcoming days. Elite players like Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Talwinder Singh, Yuvraj Walmiki, Devindar Sunil Walmiki, Affan Yousuf, Sushant Tirkey, Subodh Tirkey, David Minz, Anup Amarpal Walmiki and Gaganpreet Singh are the stars who are expected to hog the limelight, according to officials.

'Some of the top international players of the country are featuring in the various railway teams. We are sure the hockey loving crowd of Odisha will turn up in huge numbers to watch the matches live,' said a railway official.

The newly constructed synthetic turf at the Kalinga Stadium has been readied for the event and it meets international standard. The city is hosting the all important knockout stage matches. The league stage of the tournament was held in Kapurthala, Punjab.

The qualifying eight teams are participating at the knockout stage. This quarterfinal stage features Central Railway, East Coast Railway, Eastern Railway, Northern Railway, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, South Central Railway, Western Railway and West Central Railway teams.

Bhubaneswar has emerged as the ultimate hockey venue in the last couple of years since the Kalinga Stadium has state-of-the-art facilities. From hosting the prestigious Hockey India League (HIL) matches in 2014 to conducting the inaugural ceremony of HIL 2015 and the mega international tournament, Champions Trophy in 2014, it has become the preferred venue for hockey events. The sports department's initiative of improving the infrastructure at Kalinga Stadium has already paid dividends.

'We have received support from the government who have made the Kalinga Stadium available. The government is also giving us full logistical support to host this major national tournament. Conducting the championship would give a fillip to the efforts of the East Coast Railway in promoting sports,' said the official.