Men's Hockey World Cup 2018: Opening Ceremony, Live Commentary & Updates

Hello guys, welcome to Sportskeeda's coverage for the opening ceremony of the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018.

Updated: 27 November 2018 20:58 IST - Published: 27 November 2018 20:55 IST

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Now the focus shifts to the performances on the turf as the tournament starts tomorrow with Belgium taking on Canada at 5 PM and then India squaring off against South Africa at 7 PM.

And that's a wrap as the opening ceremony comes to a close!

It sends chills to the spines to hear the notes of the Hockey anthem for yet another time. Jai hind hind...Jai India.#HWCOpeningCeremony #OdishaHockeyWCInauguration #HeartBeatsForHockey pic.twitter.com/OKzbCt3WLg
— HeartBeatsForHockey (@HeartBts4Hockey) November 27, 2018

AR Rahman and his crew starts playing the official song for the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018!

AR Rahman performs his famous composition 'Vandemaatharam' for the audience.

After a dazzling performance by Madhuri Dixit, the stage is set to be taken over by the Musical Maestro AR Rahman!

A warm welcome and best wishes to all teams participating in the Hockey Men's World Cup 2018, being held in Odisha. I am sure this tournament will be a treat for sports lovers and will also be an opportunity to discover India’s and especially Odisha’s culture. @FIH_Hockey
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 27, 2018

As #HWC2018 begins, ALL THE BEST to @TheHockeyIndia!

Give your best, boys! The entire country stands with you! #OdishaHockeyWCInauguration
— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) November 27, 2018

The mesmerising show of the Earth Song, written and directed by @nupur_mahajan is under way. #HWCOpeningCeremony #OdishaHockeyWCInauguration #HeartBeatsForHockey pic.twitter.com/kLodP2cWlA
— HeartBeatsForHockey (@HeartBts4Hockey) November 27, 2018

Next up is the performance by Madhuri Dixit, a dance drama known as 'The Earth Song.'

Sattar minute hain tumhare pass...@iamsrk delivers his iconic dialogue from #ChakDeIndia.#HWCOpeningCeremony #OdishaHockeyWCInauguration #HeartBeatsForHockey pic.twitter.com/1kz0ANoUcx
— HeartBeatsForHockey (@HeartBts4Hockey) November 27, 2018

Shahrukh Khan welcomes back on to the stage, the Honourable Chief Minister Of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik.

.@iamsrk embraces the cheers from the ground as he comes in to present the ‘Heartbeat’ to the captains. #HWCOpeningCeremony #OdishaHockeyWCInauguration #HeartBeatsForHockey pic.twitter.com/qCkhNzcknh
— HeartBeatsForHockey (@HeartBts4Hockey) November 27, 2018

Sharukh Khan shares his famous dialogue from the movie 'Chak De! India' with the crowd.

And now, one of the greatest superstars of India and former Hockey player himself, @iamsrk takes the centre stage. The crowd erupts!#HWCOpeningCeremony #OdishaHockeyWCInauguration #HeartBeatsForHockey pic.twitter.com/fA525cQSNC
— HeartBeatsForHockey (@HeartBts4Hockey) November 27, 2018

Shahrukh Khan greets captains of all the teams and wishes them all success for the tournament.

Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan makes his way to the stage!

The captains of the world now start to take the centre stage as they soon begin a battle to the ultimate prize. #HWCOpeningCeremony #OdishaHockeyWCInauguration #HeartBeatsForHockey pic.twitter.com/MPEZgBYaDx
— HeartBeatsForHockey (@HeartBts4Hockey) November 27, 2018

The crowd erupts as the captain of the Indian team, Manpreet Singh, comes on to the stage!

Hon CM @Naveen_Odisha declare the #OdishaHockeyWorldCup open and the
Hockey fiesta hence begins.#HWCOpeningCeremony #OdishaHockeyWCInauguration #HeartBeatsForHockey pic.twitter.com/JPnzxWhPug
— HeartBeatsForHockey (@HeartBts4Hockey) November 27, 2018

Gaurav Kapur welcomes all the captains of the respective teams participating in the World Cup on to the stage.

FIH President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra says that Hockey couldn't have had a better audience than Odisha!#IndiaKaGame #HWCOpeningCeremony #HWC2018 #DilHockey
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) November 27, 2018

Shri. Naveen Patnaik declares the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018 open, much to the excitement of the fans!

Dr. Batra invites the honourable Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri. Naveen Patnaik on to the stage.

Dr. Batra thanks the Chief Minister, government and the people of Odisha for all the efforts and help provided for setting up the tournament in Bhubaneswar.

Gaurav Kapur welcomes the President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, on stage!

A mesmerising show of drones in the sky on the beats of 'Jai Hind India' gets the adrenaline rushing in every heart at the Kalinga Stadium. #OdishaHockeyWCInauguration #HWCOpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/gvoRiSxhVi
— HeartBeatsForHockey (@HeartBts4Hockey) November 27, 2018

The host of the night, Gaurav Kapur, is on the stage and starts pepping up the crowd!

Kalinga Stadium bathed in light and sound as the #HWCOpeningCeremony starts to reach at its peak.#HeartBeatsForHockey pic.twitter.com/YaiAxpgy0R
— HeartBeatsForHockey (@HeartBts4Hockey) November 27, 2018

The opening act of the night is The Drone Show as the entire sky is lit up!

And we are underway as the opening ceremony kicks off!

We had the former captain of the Indian team and World Cup winner, Ajit Pal Singh, share his experience with the crowd.

Hello guys, welcome to Sportskeeda's coverage for the opening ceremony of the Men's Hockey World Cup 2018.

The city of Bhubaneswar is all geared up to host the fourteenth edition of the Men's World Cup. A refurbished and upgraded Kalinga Stadium will witness sixteen of the worlds best hockey teams battle it out, over eighteen days, in an attempt to capture the prestigious World Cup trophy.

Olympic silver-medalists Belgium will take on Canada in the opening encounter tomorrow before a sell-out crowd cheers the Indians on against South Africa. A gala opening ceremony is scheduled later today which will officially flag off the tournament which has generated massive interest amongst the hockey-loving locals of Odisha.

All tickets for the India matches have been sold out well in advance which indicates the mass support and involvement that the World Cup has managed to generate. Shah Rukh Khan whose classic film Chak De! India helped popularize the game of hockey will be in attendance at the Opening Ceremony while noted television presenter Gaurav Kapur will be hosting the show.

A performance by popular Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit will also be the highlight of tonight's event. Music maestro AR Rahman who composed the World Cup anthem titled "Jai Hind India" along with eminent lyricist and songwriter Gulzar will also be performing in tonight's show. Tonight's opening ceremony will be followed by a World Cup celebration event at Cuttack's Barbati Stadium tomorrow and Bollywood star Salman Khan is expected to attend the event.

Odia actors Archita and Sabyasachi Mishra will also be seen on stage in the event for which tickets were sold out within a few hours after going on sale online.