Odisha’s Birsa Munda Stadium Named Largest Hockey Stadium by Guinness

Odisha’s Birsa Munda Stadium Named Largest Hockey Stadium by Guinness

In a landmark achievement for the state of Odisha, the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela has been recognized as the world’s largest seated hockey stadium by the Guinness Book of Records. The announcement was made by 5T Secretary VK Pandian on his Instagram account and was celebrated by CM Naveen Patnaik, who expressed his delight at the recognition and congratulated the people of Odisha for their hard work.

The stadium, built in just 15 months, was one of the two venues for the recently concluded FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup and was named after Indian freedom fighter Birsa Munda. It spans 50 acres of land within the Biju Patnaik University of Technology campus in Sundargarh district, regarded as the cradle of Indian hockey and home to talented players such as Dilip Tirkey, Amit Rohidas and Birendra Lakra.

With 20,846 bucket seats, the Birsa Munda Stadium surpasses other hockey stadiums in terms of seating capacity, including the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore, Chandigarh Hockey Stadium, and the Weingart Stadium in Los Angeles. The stadium features two world-class FIH-approved turfs for hockey, a gymnasium, and a World Cup Village capable of housing over eight teams. 20 out of 44 matches of the Hockey World Cup were played at this picturesque venue.

The recognition by the Guinness Book of Records puts to rest any debate about the stadium’s status as the largest seated hockey stadium in the world, a title previously confirmed by FIH President Tayyab Ikram.