As a tribute to India's hockey heritage, Odisha CM asks Prime Minister Modi to declare it the National Game

What's the story?

Odisha's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to award Hockey the status of India's National Game. The Odisha CM issued a formal request citing several possible reasons to give hockey the national game status.

In case you didn't know...

Contrary to popular belief, Hockey is currently not the National Game of India. In fact, India does not have a National Game at the moment.

For long people have been wondering whether Hockey or Kabaddi is given the status of the National Game. However, the truth is India does not have a National Game.

This revelation came to the fore after an RTI was launched regarding the National Game of India in 2012.

Heart of the matter

Rallying the cry of several Indian sports fans, Naveen Patnaik has asked Prime Minister Modi to accord the National Game status to Field Hockey.

In an official notice by the Odisha CM, several reasons are cited as to why Hockey should be India's national game.

The primary reason is the fact that the sport is enjoyed by millions across the country and is a 'way of life' for many. Moreover, India did win the Gold medal in Hockey in the 1948 London Olympics, adding weight to the claim. The brilliance of sports India was also marked by hockey during the 1980s, giving it international acclaim.

The notice also speaks about how Hockey gave India a sporting identity throughout the 20th century and the fact that Hockey is popular across all the different demographics.

CM @Naveen_Odisha drew attention of PM @narendramodi for according ‘National Game’ status to Hockey as fitting tribute to hockey greats who made India proud. Hockey has become part of Indian psyche. Crores of Indians rejoice at every victory #HockeyForNationalGame pic.twitter.com/U1EyzQLZee
— CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) June 20, 2018

What's next?

Consequently, the request to update Hockey's status as the National Game of India falls in line with the upcoming Hockey World Cup.

This year's Hockey World Cup is destined to take place in Bhubaneshwar from 28 November. Multi-sport Arena Kalinga Stadium has been chosen to host every single game of the tournament. However, before this India will be playing in the Hockey Champions Trophy in Breda, Netherlands and have their first match scheduled against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 23, 2018.

Do you feel that hockey should indeed get the status of National Game of India? Let us know in the comments section below.