Bhubaneswar: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur on Tuesday attended the opening ceremony of the FIFA U-17 (Under-17) Women's Football World Cup at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Thakur also watched the match between India and USA.
"The Union Minister for Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister for Law and Justice Shri Kiren Rijiju also attended the inaugural ceremony of the World Cup," stated an official release.
"The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup is underway in India for the first time. I wish the very best to participating athletes from all countries and welcome you to India. Congratulations to FIFA & host states Odisha, Maharashtra, Goa for this superlative sporting endeavor," tweeted Thakur.
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India is hosting the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022, which is being organized at three venues. The matches will be played at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, PJN Stadium in Goa and DY Patil Sports Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
As many as 16 nations will be taking part in the sporting event which will continue till October 30. The seventh edition of the prestigious tournament has four groups - A, B, C and D - and Navi Mumbai is set to host the grand final on October 30.
The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 will see three former champions in France, Japan and Spain take the field. Meanwhile, Canada, Germany and New Zealand and Japan will also take part in the tournament. " Host India in the meantime is the debutant in this edition of the World Cup. After boys in 2017, it is now the turn of India’s U-17 women’s team to make it big at this tournament," stated the release.
