Bhubaneswar: After the historic victory of the Indian hockey team at the Paris Olympics, all the players and support members were accorded a warm welcome on their arrival here on Wednesday. The players were felicitated in a grand function at the convention hall of the Lok Seva Bhavan.
In the event, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi awarded Rs15 lakh to each player of the Indian team. Odia player Amit Rohidas was specially awarded a prize of Rs 4 crore. The team’s goalkeeper P R Shreejesh was specially awarded a prize of Rs 50 lakh. Similarly, four supporting staff were awarded Rs10 lakh each.
Speaking on the occasion Chief Minister Majhi said, “This bronze medal for the Indian hockey team is a call for launching of a solid golden future. I am proud of Odisha’s significant role in the revival of Indian hockey. Odisha has always been a companion to the Indian hockey team.”
The Chief Minister said that Odisha and its people will continue to strongly support the national hockey team in all its upcoming campaigns including the Los Angeles Olympics.
“Our government is completely with our players. They will be given all kinds of facilities and incentives so that they can achieve even greater success in the coming days. We will take new measures for the development of hockey. We will ensure that our players are at the top of their game,” he added.
He said that since 1928, the Indian hockey team has won a total of 13 Olympic medals including 8 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze medals in various editions of the Olympics.
The Chief Minister said that after winning the gold medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, two questions came to our minds. The first is – when will we get our next medal? No one thought it would take 41 years. There were times when it seemed impossible at one point. But the Indian team made the impossible possible by winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Then there was the question of whether we would regain our lost glory by winning consecutive medals like before. Paris Olympics was the answer. For the first time since 1972, our team won consecutive medals and brought back our glory once again.
The Chief Minister also said that sports is not just a competition, it is a powerful means of nation building. It teaches us unity, discipline and struggle. A game like hockey inspires us to face all the challenges of life and create our own identity. The motivation behind the success of the Indian team is that if we are united and stick to our goals, we can overcome any difficult situation, he added.
Finally, Chief Minister Majhi said, “Our sportspersons are our source of inspiration. The basis for building a strong society. Sportsmen are the future of our state and country. It is my hope and belief that you will bring pride and glory to our country and state through your magnificent performance. In Odisha’s sports field, the role of sportspersons from remote areas is very important. It is from their home soil that our sportspersons begin their journey towards a golden future in the world of sports. So we are committed to the holistic development of these sports talents from the grass roots level.”
In his welcome address, Sports and Youth Services Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said that what is bronze for the world is gold for us. From Tokyo to Paris, we are all grateful to our players for making us feel proud.
Goalkeeper of Indian hockey team PR Shreejesh said that Odisha is his second home. Odisha’s promotion of hockey is an example for everyone today. He said that the love and respect that we get in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela is not found anywhere else.
The players of the Indian team present in this felicitation ceremony were – Captain Harmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar, Hardik Singh, Sukhjit Singh, Samsher Singh, Mandeep Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Rajkumar Pal, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Sumit, Sanjay, Abhishek , Amit Rohidas and PR Shreejesh. Four supporting staff were also present with them.
International sand sculptor Padmashri Sudarshan Patnaik gifted a sand art portrait to the Indian hockey team. Patnaik was also felicitated on behalf of Hockey India.
Bhaskarjyoti Sharma, Principal Secretary of Sports and Youth Services Department gave the vote of thanks in the programme.
Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Development Commissioner Anu Garg, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey and high ranking officials of various departments and sportspersons were present in this program.
