Bhubaneswar: Sportspersons of Odisha were felicitated with special cash awards for their outstanding performance across various disciplines at the Tennis Centre, Kalinga Sports Complex, on Thursday.
A total of Rs 56, 93,000 was awarded to recipients of 269 medallists. Present at the ceremony, to recognise and felicitate the athletes were Padma Shri Dilip Tirkey, Chairman of the Hockey Promotion Council of Odisha, Siddhartha Das, Sports Director and Deepankar Mohapatra, CEO of Hockey Promotion Council of Odisha
The athletes felicitated were from over 20 disciplines including, Athletics, Swimming, Rugby, Hockey, Badminton, Weightlifting, Karate, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Tennis etc, for in various competitions including national and international events. Amongst the athletes felicitated was Pratyasa Ray who was recognised with a cash award of Rs 3,82,000 for her impressive haul of 12 medals across the recently concluded Khelo India University Games 2023 and the All-India University Games 2023. Notably, Pratyasa Ray also emerged as the most successful athlete with four gold, one silver and one bronze medal.
Notably, providing cash prizes to medal winners in various sports is a part of the many initiatives deployed by the Government of Odisha towards the promotion of sports. Furthermore, under the 5T initiative, the recipients will receive their awards in an expedited manner.
