Let your heart beat for hockey, says Odisha govt in ad blitz

As the Men’s Hockey World Cup draws near, the Government of Odisha, the title sponsor of the tournament, has launched a 360-degree campaign to get all Indians behind the sport.

The campaign attempts to inspire every Indian to give their love and support to hockey and the ‘Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018’, which is set to take the centre stage from November 28 to December 16 at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.

The World Cup fever kicks off with ‘Heartbeats for Hockey’, a movement that attempts to get India behind hockey by way of music, entertainment, fashion, pure sport and panel discussions. A digital campaign starring the national hockey team urges people to pledge their support, saying: “My heart beats for hockey, does yours?”

“We are asking India to give their heart to hockey. And this by way a nationwide outreach where we go to the heartlands of hockey and ask people to come and immortalise their heartbeats by recording them on a specially-designed hockey stick,” said Nupur Mahajan, brand strategist and creator of the campaign who is working alongside Government of Odisha as Communication and Strategy Consultant for the tournament.

“If your heart beats for hockey, we urge you to give a few heartbeats to hockey. India’s collective heart beats, gathered over four months, will be presented to the 16 captains of the world at the opening ceremony of the tournament, which is scheduled for November 27,” said Mahajan.

Each time anyone holds the custom-made hockey stick, named ‘Heart Beat’, they record their heart beat as a pledge to support hockey. Over the next few months, Heart Beat will travel across the country through the ‘Hockey Adda’, a curated on-ground discussion platform for hockey players and experts alike with youth in the audience.

Additionally, special ‘Heartbeat Canters’ will be sent across select cities in India, encouraging every sports lover to participate in an effort to gather as many heart beats as possible. People will also have the opportunity to pledge a heartbeat at one of the many curated events that will unfold in the build-up to the world cup.

At the opening ceremony, as all the 16 captains gather on stage, they will be presented heart beats of the entire nation as a gesture of support for the game that says: ‘India’s heart beats for hockey. Your heartbeat could be one of them.’

Elena Norman, CEO Hockey India, said, “The trajectory of hockey as a sport in India has attained a new high given the recent commendable performances of the Indian Hockey Teams. We urge one and all to come forward and support your hockey team during the upcoming Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018.”

The specially designed hockey stick will be installed and made available at hockey heartlands in select locations across six cities such as Chandigarh, Bangalore, Mumbai, Bhopal, Rourkela and Imphal. Additionally two permanent installations at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar will also be made accessible to the masses. The Heartbeat Canter will cover other Indian cities including Jalandhar, Lucknow, Ranchi, New Delhi, Chennai and many more.

The Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 will be the 14th edition of the biggest tournament in Men's Hockey and the third time that India will be hosting it after having organised it in 1982 in Bombay and in 2010 in New Delhi.

A total of 16 nations will take part in the tournament which will see each team play three matches during the league stage over the span of 12 days before four cross-over matches take place on December 10 and 11.

The knockout matches will take place on 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th as the teams will look to become the champions of the prestigious quadrennial event which was won by Australia in 2014

All general tickets for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 are now available online at http://in.ticketgenie.in/buytickets/hockey-world-cup-2018

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