Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s capital, Bhubaneswar was full of celebrations today as the heroes of the Indian men’s hockey team were felicitated by the Odisha government.
After the historic victory of the Indian hockey team at the Paris Olympics, all the players and supporters were accorded a warm welcome on their arrival in Bhubaneswar and 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 felicitated each player of the Indian hockey team with a Rs. 15 lakh cash award.
Odia Hockey star, defender Amit Rohidas was awarded a Rs 4 crore special cash prize while the team’s goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh received a Rs 50 lakh special cash prize. Similarly, four supporting staff were awarded Rs 10 lakh each.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said, “This bronze medal for the Indian hockey team is a call for a gold medal for the future. I am proud of Odisha’s significant role in the revival of Indian hockey. Odisha has always been a happy 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 2029.
CM Majhi announced that the state government will provide all kinds of facilities and incentives so that the Hockey players can achieve even greater success in the coming days. “We will take new steps for the development of hockey and will ensure that our players remain on the top spot,” he added.
The Odisha CM 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, “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 it possible by winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Then there was the question of whether we would regain our spot by winning consecutive medals like before and the 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 stick together and stick to our goals, we can overcome any difficult situation.
Chief Minister Majhi said that our sportspersons are our source of inspiration and 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 sector, the role of sportspersons from suburban areas is very crucial. 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 grassroots level,” CM Majhi concluded.
In his welcome speech, Sports and Youth Services Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said “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 the Indian hockey team Mr. P.R. Sreejesh said, “Odisha is my 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 Paul, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Sumit, Sanjay, Abhishek, Amit Rohidas and PR Sreejesh. Also, four supporting staff were present with them.
Internationally acclaimed sand artist Padmashri Sudarsan Pattnaik gifted a sand art portrait to the Indian hockey team. Mr Patnaik was also felicitated on behalf of Hockey India.
Bhaskar Jyoti Sharma, Principal Secretary of Sports and Youth Services Department delivered the vote of thanks.
Deputy Chief Ministers, Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo & Pravati Parida, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Development Commissioner Anu Garg, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey and senior officials of various departments and sportspersons were present in this program.