New Delhi
A day after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare hockey the National Game, Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said no official proclamation was required to love the sport.

“For loving sports and hockey, we do not need an official proclamation… In terms of facilities, hockey is one of the priority sports of our country,” said Rathore. He said he would leave it to the people to decide whether they really want hockey to be declared the National Game officially. Odisha is hosting the hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar in November this year.