Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday launched "My heart beats for hockey" campaign for the Men's Hockey World Cup to be hosted here in November.
With just 90 days left for the event to start, the campaign will garner support for the game across the country.
Under the campaign, a specially technology-enabled hockey stick will be made available in 16 cities including Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Mumbai, Bhopal and Imphal.
Each time anyone holds the custom-made hockey stick, named 'Heart Beat', it will record his or her heartbeat as a pledge to support hockey.
Naveen said: "This campaign aims at spreading the passion and love for the game of hockey in the lead up to the hockey world cup that begins on November 28. The campaign urges the people to pledge their support for the game, saying: "My heart beats for hockey, does yours?"
"The campaign urges the entire country to give a billion plus heart beats and seeks the support of every Indian for the game of hockey," he said after launching the campaign at the Kalinga Sports Complex.
Naveen said the state government was taking every step to make the tournament a grand success.
"Odisha has produced brilliant hockey players who have brought laurels for the country in the international sports arena. The world cup is hockey's highest-ranking tournament. Therefore, my government is taking all the steps to organise it in a befitting manner and ensure its grand success," Naveen added.
The state government had earlier unveiled the bus advertisement campaign in London, where the Women's Hockey World Cup was held in July and August. The state capital will also witness a massive publicity campaign in government offices and the airport.
Similarly, 50 city buses plying on major routes in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri will also be used for promotion of the event.
Hockey India CEO Elena Norman appreciated the state government and said that all jobs were on schedule.
"The campaign has been launched not to back the Indian team, but to back sports," Norman said.
