Beighton Cup to throw open '22,000-seat' hockey stadium in Salt Lake

Kolkata, Nov 7 (PTI) The 126th edition of the Beighton Cup will be played at the newly-inaugurated Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Hockey Stadium, claimed by the West Bengal government to have a seating capacity of 22,000, making it the "largest international-standard hockey stadium" in the country.

Built at an estimated cost of Rs 20-crore, the state-of-the-art facility located inside the Salt Lake Stadium complex, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday on the eve of the centenary celebrations of Indian hockey.

Several current and former Olympians and international players will be seen in action in the tournament, regarded as the “Blue Riband of Indian Hockey”.

The Beighton Cup, which began in 1895, is the world’s oldest hockey championship. The main competition will begin on Saturday, with the final scheduled for November 16.

Built under the initiative of the Chief Minister, the new stadium features a world-class synthetic turf, a gallery on one side with four stands, two fully-equipped dressing rooms, a press corner, a room for video analysts, and a venue operations centre.

The capacity figure of 22,000 is claimed by the state government, though it remains to be seen how that number of spectators can be accommodated in the single-sided gallery structure, which also has an earthen-style gallery "similar to those in Australia".

Actor Parambrata Chatterjee, speaking at the official inauguration during the Kolkata International Film Festival, announced, “May we humbly put forward that this one by far is the best in the country in terms of its facilities -- a stadium that accommodates 22,000 spectators." As of now, Odisha's Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, with an official capacity of 20,000, is recognised as the largest hockey stadium in India.

The state also has the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, which seats around 15,000.

West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas, who inspected the venue on Friday afternoon, was not available for comment.

Indian hockey completed 100 years on Friday, having started its organised journey in 1925 with the formation of the first national sports body. To mark the centenary, Hockey Bengal organised men’s and women’s matches across districts earlier in the day. PTI TAP AT AM TAP AM AM