Raipur: Raipur is all set to host the Final of the Hero Hockey World League (HHWL) beginning tomorrow at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Hockey Stadium in the Science College Campus.
The tournament, featuring eight of the world’s best national hockey teams, will see the winner book their berth at the Champions Trophy scheduled to be held in June 2016 in Argentina. Teams will also be competing for valuable International Hockey Federation (FIH) World Ranking points.
The Hero Hockey World League will begin with the home team, India, taking on Argentina on 27 November 2015.
The opening day of the tournament will also see one of the biggest rivalries in world hockey go head to head with Germany taking on Netherlands, in what will be a re-run of the London 2012 Olympic Games gold medal game.
With all eight teams having already qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics, this tournament will be one of the last opportunities for the teams to test their mettle against each other before the Games next year.
This event also marks a special occasion for the newly built Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Hockey Stadium, as Chhattisgarh’s capital gets ready to host its first ever International Hockey tournament. This move comes in line with Hockey India’s long-standing commitment to deepen the penetration of Hockey throughout the country.
As a part of a long-term agreement with FIH and Hockey India, Star Sports is producing the Hero Hockey World League Final in Raipur with premium production facilities and technology. Many of such features will be a first for hockey TV coverage.
A world feed crew of 65 people, including the likes of top of the line camera operators, replay artists, graphic operators and a Dolby Sound team, will be responsible for showcasing this event to the world.
The 16 camera production unit will feature super-slow and ultra-motion replays, speed guns, digital zoom and goalkeeper matrix to help deliver a world class viewing experience for the Hero Hockey World League Final. It will also be the first ever telecast of an FIH tournament in Dolby Sound.
The eight teams competing for the Hero Hockey World League Final title qualified through the Hockey World League Semi-Finals in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Antwerp, Belgium, both played earlier this year.
The teams will be divided into two pools of four teams each. Australia, Belgium, Canada and Great Britain will form Group A, with Argentina, Netherlands, Germany and India in Group B.
The Hero Hockey World League Final will be televised LIVE from 27 November to 6 December 2015 on Star Sports 1, HD 1 and on Star’s Digital platform, hotstar from 6:30 PM.
