FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023: 'Regrettable that India still hosts such an event', says Belgian player

Belgian player Elliot van Strydonck on Saturday expressed his disappointment at India which is hosting the ongoing FIH Men's Hockey World Cup 2023.

The tournament is being played in Odisha for the second time in succession after 2018. 16 teams are competing against each other for one of the most coveted prizes in hockey.

The Odisha government has reportedly spent nearly ₹1,100 crore for hosting the tournament, which is 16 times more than the ₹67 crore they had spent for the World Cup in 2018.

And van Strydonck said that it is because of the "power of money" that India has been able to bag the hosting rights once again. This is the third time India is hosting the tournament since 2010.

""The power of money. Belgians know India and its obligations well. They must be careful with water and food. They have their routine. It is regrettable that India still hosts such an event," van Strydonck told Belgium newspaper La Libre.

'Only India can fill Stadiums'

But he also went on to add that India has the numbers on its side which why the stadiums witness full capacity in all the games.

"But India is the only country that can fill stadiums with 20,000 seats every day. The atmosphere is guaranteed. In addition, it is the only nation that can count on global sponsors like Hero or Odisha.

"The choice makes sense financially, but unfair to sporting fairness. The Red Lions have won everything in 4 years. However, the media coverage of hockey remains too limited here (in Belgium)," van Strydonck said.