In the fever of World Cup cricket many might have missed a Hockey Tournament just held in Bhubaneswar, India. Congratulation Team India on winning the 8 team FIH Cup Hockey and more importantly qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
This event was held at a time in Odisha when pre monsoon ANASARA GULUGULI (muggy days) with its heat and humidity at its peak makes it almost Impossible to feel comfortable in an non climate controlled sporting arena. No wonder it was so bad that the organising committee was forced to introduce extra breaks between the quarters and adding more minutes to the regular intervals for the 7th-8th position playoff game. One game was advanced to early morning time of 8.15 AM before it becomes dangerously dehydrating of the players.
USA, one of the 8 teams playing in the tournament made it to the Semifinals, losing narrowly to South Africa 2-1. I was pleasantly surprised that US could even make it to the Semis - even if they made into the last four, I was expecting them to lose by half a dozen goals. Field Hockey as they call it here (the default Hockey is the one played on ice) is as rare as a scantily clad girl seen on a street of Saudi Arabia. In nearly a quarter of century in America, I have never seen someone wielding a Hockey stick, let alone playing Hockey other than on the surface of ice, nor any hockey stick or ball in any store selling Sporting goods.
Heat and humidity aside, the tournament was held without any issue and again puts Bhubaneswar at the center of global Hockey map. Hope this trend continues and more and more sporting events are held in my hometown back home.
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