Guwahati: The Hockey World Cup trophy traveled through Guwahati, the largest city in Assam, as part of the nationwide tour that had started and will end in Odisha, the host state for the tournament, according to an official release.
The trophy arrived from Manipur’s capital Imphal on Thursday and was displayed throughout the city throughout the day, it added.
The Member Secretary, State Level Consultative Committee for Students and Youth Welfare, Assam, Gitartha Goswami, along with Tapan Kumar Das, Secretary General of Assam Hockey, accompanied the trophy.
Assam Police Commandos guarded the gold and platinum trophy and were greeted by Gayan-Bayan’ (performance of Vashnavite Sattriya tradition) at the airport.
More than 1000 motorcyclists and hundreds of vehicles accompanied the trophy.
As it passed through Gauhati University, both students of the university and faculty members marched in procession.
The convoy later moved to the hockey stadium in the Bhetapara area of the city, where players and officials welcomed the trophy.
It also had a stopover at a gurudwara in Basistha area.
A formal welcome by the state government was granted at the Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium with Assam Ministers Jogen Mohan and Nandita Garlosa and Arunachal Pradesh Minister Mama Natung attending the programme.
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The trophy was handed over to the Jharkhand Hockey authorities at the Kamakhya Temple grounds later in the evening for the onward journey to the eastern state.
Odisha will host the Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup from January 13 to 29, 2023. The trophy’s 21-day tour covering 13 states and one union territory had begun from the host state, where it will also end, on December 5.
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