Shahrukh Khan pledges his Heartbeat for Hockey
New Delhi, October 9th,
2018: Bollywood Superstar, Shahrukh Khan took to twitter
extending his support and pledging his heartbeat to Indian Hockey. Cheering the
Men in Blue to get the cup back home, SRK in his tweet also urged everyone to
get behind Team India and support the game. With the Odisha Hockey Men’s World
Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 just a few weeks away, the team is gearing up for the mega
tournament and training in Bhubaneswar (even as they leave for the Asian
Champions Trophy on the 14th).
With Mr. Khan firmly behind the team, it is certain that the
sport will attract a larger fan base that steps forward to see the battle of
the finest hockey talent as India play the rest of the world at Bhubaneswar
come end November.
Mr. Khan has always been an ardent fan of the game and used
to play Hockey in his school days. Recalling his childhood dream to play for
the country, he had earlier this year, expressed a sentiment for his
five-year-old son, AbRam to grow up to be a hockey player and represent the
country at the international stage. Mr. Khan was also instrumental in
popularizing the sport in the country a decade back when he played the iconic
role of Hockey coach, Kabir Khan in the sports movie Chak De! India. As far as a connection with Odisha goes Mr Khan’s
portrayal of Ashoka, the Great, in his movie, Asoka, helped bring alive the glory of the Kalinga Empire of yore,
and it is at Kalinga Stadium that he is now set to return.
Speaking on the occasion,
Shahrukh Khan said, “Hockey is the song of my heart. It is that time
of my youth that is forever etched in my consciousness. I follow the game and
watching the game, even now, gets my pulse racing. India is hosting the Hockey
World Cup in November at Bhubaneswar, and I am honoured to be a part of
hockey at the highest level. We have a young and promising team and they have
my unconditional support. They are my heroes and I pledge my heartbeat for
India, for the Indian team and for hockey.’’
Naveen Patnaik, Chief
Minister, Govt. of Odisha said, “Shahrukh Khan is one of the
greatest icons of this generation and a role model for the youth of the
country. His passion for sports is in full view as he has been at the forefront
of sport even as he exemplifies the sporting spirit, the grit and discipline
that go into making a sportsman. Mr. Khan extending his support for Hockey will
not only motivate the team but it will also catalyse the nation to join this
movement for Hockey, and I thank him for the same.”
Mr. Patnaik further
extended the invitation saying that the people of Odisha, worldwide hockey fans
who would be in Odisha for the HWC 2018 and indeed the Kalinga Stadium look
forward welcoming him, “as we cheer the finest talent and the sport at the
highest level.”
Mr. Khan accepting the invitation urged all Indians to join him at
the HWC 2018, saying, “My heart beats for hockey, and I will be at the Odisha
Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. Are you game?”
Log onto www.heartbeatsforhockey.com
and pledge a heartbeat for hockey
The Opening Ceremony of the World Cup is scheduled on 27th
November and will feature Mr. Shah Rukh Khan as also a live performance from
musical genius AR Rahman.
The Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 will set
stage from November 28 to December 16 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. A
total of sixteen nations will be participating in the tournament wherein each
team will play three matches during the league stage over the span of twelve
days before four cross-over matches take place on 10th and 11th December, 2018. Odisha
is popularly termed the ‘cradle of hockey’ having given India many star Hockey
players including Dilip Tirkey, and in the current national team: Amit Rohidas,
Dipsan Tirkey, Birendra Lakra, Deep Grace Ekka, Namita Toppo, Sunita Lakra and
Lilima Minz. Odisha is currently associated as Major Team Partner of the Indian
National Hockey teams (Men and Women) for 5 years. Odisha is also the Presenting
Partner for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. The state
provides full scholarships for budding talent in 11 disciplines taught at the
16 sports hostels across the state.
All
general tickets for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 are now
available online at www.worldcup2018.hockey/men www.heartbeatsforhockey.com
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