The 2018 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup kicked off – ceremonially speaking – with a glittering opening ceremony at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium on Tuesday, 27 November.
A visually breath-taking evening was graced by Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit, along with music maestro AR Rahman – each enthralling a packed house with their respective performances.
Organised and sponsored in its entirety by the Government of Odisha, the 14th edition of hockey’s most prestigious competition begins on-field with the first round of grou-stage matches on Wednesday, 28 November.
Hosts India face South Africa in their Pool C opener at 7 pm IST, although Belgium and Canada will hit the turf first at 5 pm IST.
Here’s the best of a captivating evening, in pictures.
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