Bhubaneswar: The hockey fest ended on a high note for Belgium, which lifted the World Cup trophy by beating Netherlands in shootout, on Sunday.
The Belgian Red Lions roared their way to victory in the thriller, which brought the curtains down on the 19-day event. As the team took the flight back, they left a note for the hosts and its people.
Thank you so much and congratulations @TheHockeyIndia for the most epic, best organized and most impressive World Cup ever. Thank you people of India/Bhubaneswar, for your hospitality and kindness ! You were fabulous! pic.twitter.com/j0Lzxe9wj8
— Belgian Red Lions (@BELRedLions) December 16, 2018
The Olympic silver medallists Belgium entered the World Cup winners club by beating three-time champions Netherlands in sudden death.
The ‘God of Cricket’ Sachin Tendulkar also witnessed the finals, which saw a sixth nation win the title after 16 years. He tweeted a selfie from Kalinga Stadium describing the crazy atmosphere and the love for hockey.
Crazy atmosphere at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar for the Men’s #HWCFinal2018! Loving the energy and the passion for hockey in this stunning stadium! ??
Kudos to @Naveen_Odisha & @TheHockeyIndia for putting up this world class event! ?#BELvNED @sports_odisha @FIH_Hockey pic.twitter.com/hZOvGzTkJT
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 16, 2018
As everyone had words of praise for the success of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup-2018 and the world-class arrangements, International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Narinder Dhruv Batra during the post match presentation ceremony announced that the city would host the Hockey Olympic qualifiers next year.
Besides, Bhubaneswar is scheduled to host one of the three Hockey Series Finals to be held from June 6 to 16 next year.
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