BJD slams State government for Hockey India’s notice to downgrade Odisha’s status

Hockey Association of Odisha (HAO) faces the risk of losing its Permanent Member status in Hockey India (HI) after being issued a show-cause notice over the absence of elected representatives at the helm of district-level units, which are instead being managed by bureaucrats.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) reacted sharply, calling it a fall from Odisha’s position as a national sponsor of hockey to the brink of losing its permanent membership in the sport’s governing body.

“In Odisha, Hockey is an emotion. With the consistent efforts of former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Hockey in Odisha and across India, touched new heights. Odisha became the sponsor of Indian Hockey. In the last two years of apathy towards Hockey by the present double engine government, there has been a fall in the quality of hockey in Odisha,” said former Sports Minister and BJD leader Tushar Kanti Behera in Bhubaneswar on Monday (October 12, 2026).

The party criticised the Mohan Charan Majhi government for its alleged neglect towards hockey in Odisha for which a show-cause had been issued by Hockey India to Odisha Hockey Association questioning why Odisha Hockey’s status should not be changed from Permanent Member to Associate Member.’

In its October 7, 2026 letter, HI had taken exceptions to not holding elections for district units of HAO.

“District wise statement record that in each of the 30 district units, the president is district collector and the secretary in each is additional district magistrate or equivalent ranked officers. Ganjam, Sundargarh and Rayagada have no persons in these positions,” the hockey’s apex governing body says.

“Where office attaches to government post and not to election by the members of the units, the governing body is prima facie not democratically constituted. Article 6.1 and 6.4 of the bye-laws of HI require democratic constitution of a permanent member of its affiliated units,” the show-cause notices says. The association asserted no district unit in Odisha had produced record of an election.

During regime of previous BJD government, Odisha successfully hosted the FIH (The Fédération Internationale de Hockey) Hockey Champions Trophy in 2014, the Indo-Japan Hockey Series in 2015, the Hockey World League in 2017, the Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2018, and the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in 2019, making the State powerhouse of hockey. In 2018, Odisha had gone on to become the official sponsor of both the men’s and women’s national hockey teams for five years and subsequently, it was increased by another 10 years.