The newly-elected FIH President visits Uttar Pradesh Hockey Junior World Cup Men Lucknow venues

Lucknow: Sunday morning, the newly-elected FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra arrived in the city to ensure the preparations for the Uttar Pradesh Hockey Junior World Cup Men Lucknow 2016 was right on track. The mega event, to be played on Lucknow soil, will be the first ever international hockey event to be played under flood lights in Uttar Pradesh.

He made a quick stopover at the newly constructed Padma Shri Mohammad Shahid Hockey Stadium where he inspected the pitch and other facilities within the stadium. He was accompanied by Dr RP Singh, Sports Director Government of Uttar Pradesh and Elena Norman, CEO of host nation Hockey India. With the addition of this new stadium, Lucknow joins the elite club of cities which boasts of twin turfs that qualifies to host an FIH event. A matter of immense pride for the city with scores of hockey lovers.

He later visited the main venue Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium within the Guru Gobind Singh Sports College premises. He expressed that he was more than pleased with the preparations. The Uttar Pradesh Hockey Junior World Cup Men Lucknow 2016 to begin on December 8 will be the first international event to be held under Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra's leadership as FIH President. "Lucknow is known for the legends it has produced in world hockey and I am extremely happy with the preparations. This is beyond expectations and I would like to thank the government of Uttar Pradesh for their full support. The event will definitely help put Lucknow city on the world map," Dr Batra said.

During his day-long visit, Dr Batra also made time to meet some of the teams that have already arrived in the city and ensured they are well-facilitated.

Besides the hosts nation India, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, England, Germany, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, Egypt, New Zealand, Malaysia, South Africa and Spain will be in action.