Madhya Pradesh is planning guided wildlife and heritage tours for teams attending the Asian Women’s Hockey Championship in Bhopal, as the state seeks to use the international tournament to promote tourism, hospitality and its wider visitor economy.
The championship is scheduled to be held in November at the International Sports Complex in Barkheda Nathu. Eight teams are expected to participate, including India, China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand, along with two other Asian teams. The tournament is expected to bring about 200 players and support staff to the state.
The sports department is preparing a proposal to take visiting players and officials to selected tourist attractions during their stay. Wildlife destinations are expected to receive particular emphasis, with Madhya Pradesh highlighting its tiger reserves and other natural and heritage sites as part of the planned itinerary.
Sports minister Vishvas Sarang is expected to place the proposal before Union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya. Sarang said the state would provide the participating teams with the best available facilities and that an agreement with the Union sports ministry would be signed before the remaining formalities are completed.
“We will offer the very best facilities to the participating teams. We will soon sign an MoU with the Union sports ministry and take care of all other formalities. It would be a big opportunity for us to showcase MP to the world,” Sarang said, according to the report.
The proposed tours are expected to be planned around the teams’ training and match schedules. Officials have described the initiative as part of a broader effort to ensure that hosting an international sporting event produces benefits beyond the competition venue. The state has identified hospitality, transport, trade, employment and allied services as sectors that could gain from the arrival of athletes, support staff and other visitors.
Madhya Pradesh is home to Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna and Satpura tiger reserves, as well as historical monuments and other cultural attractions. Officials said the state has scope to attract more visitors, particularly from overseas, by combining sports events with tourism promotion.
The tournament will also put attention on Bhopal’s sports infrastructure. Preparations at the Barkheda Nathu complex include an international-standard hockey stadium with synthetic turf, a pavilion and practice facilities. Chief minister Mohan Yadav has described the venue as one of the state’s major sports-infrastructure projects and said the championship would support Bhopal’s emergence as a centre for national and international sporting events.
The immediate challenge for the proposal will be to coordinate tourism visits with athlete preparation, security and competition schedules. The sports department’s next steps include presenting the proposal to the Union sports ministry, finalising an MoU and completing arrangements for the championship and the visiting delegations.
