Tata Steel named official partner of FIH men's hockey World Cup 2018

Steel manufacturing giant Tata Steel was on Monday announced as an official partner of the men's hockey World Cup, to be staged at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16.

Tata Steel, the 10th-largest steel producer in the world, signed the agreement with the quadrennial event to continue their efforts of promoting development through sports across the country.

Welcoming Tata Steel as an official partner, Hockey India CEO Elena Norman said: "We are thrilled to announce Tata Steel as an official partner for the prestigious World Cup. It is an important tournament for everyone involved with the sport of hockey, and we are delighted to have the support of the steel-making giant."

Reiterating the organisation's commitment towards the sport, Sunil Bhaskaran, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel said, "Over the years, we have created infrastructure for every sports discipline, including hockey, that is popular in and around our areas of operation. Tata Steel is the first private sector company in India to start a hockey academy."

The upcoming 14th edition of the FIH World Cup will be the third time that India will be hosting the prestigious competition after having played hosts in 1982 in Mumbai and in 2010 in New Delhi.

A total of 16 nations will take part in the tournament which will see each team play three matches during the league stage over a span of 12 days before four cross-over matches take place on December 10 and 11.

The knockout matches will take place on December 12, 13, 15 and 16 as the teams will look to become the Champions of the prestigious quadrennial event which was won by Australia in 2014.