Hockey India CEO Elena Norman handed over the ticket to Patnaik for the ceremony that will be held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. He later took to his official social media account to share the photo of him receiving the ticket. He wrote, "Delighted to receive the first ticket of Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2018 opening ceremony from @TheHockeyIndia. Hope fans from all over the world are ready to catch the euphoria of #HWC2018 and explore #Odisha. Looking forward to welcome you all in #Bhubaneswar."
A second ceremony will be held at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on November 28. Patnaik paid Rs 500 for the ticket, an official release issued by the chief minister's office said.
Earlier on Sunday, Hockey India announced that online ticket sale for the opening ceremony of Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 will begin from Tuesday. It has said the online ticket sales will go live at 12 noon the same day. Around 10,500 tickets are likely to be sold for the inaugural ceremony in Bhubaneswar and 30,000 tickets for the November 28 event, sources said.
Music maestro A R Rahman is expected to perform at both the venues, along with other Bollywood celebrities, including Shah Rukh Khan.