Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday felicitated the Odisha players who were part of the Indian Hockey teams that participated in the Tokyo Olympics.
At a function in Kalinga Stadium here, the chief minister handed over cash award of Rs 2.5 crore and the offer letter for appointment as Deputy Superintendent of Police to Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas who were part of the men’s hockey team that bagged bronze medal in the Olympics.
He also handed over cash award of Rs 50 lakh each to Deep Grace Ekka and Namita Toppo who were part of the women’s hockey team at the Olympics. He commended the spirited fight of the women’s team in reaching the semi-finals and creating history in Indian hockey.
Lauding their performance, Naveen advised them to continue their hard work and bring more laurels to the country. He also assured them of full support from the state government in future.
The players expressed their gratitude to the chief minister for supporting the Indian Hockey which led to wonderful results in Tokyo Olympics. The Olympians were elated that the state government has fulfilled its commitment of cash rewards and jobs on their arrival.
Birendra Lakra, the vice-captain of the men’s team and Deep Grace Ekka, the vice-captain of the women’s team, presented the team jerseys with signatures of all the team members to the chief minister on the occasion.
Kalinga Stadium, which has emerged as the global hub of hockey, will host next edition of Men’s Hockey World Cup.
The hockey players from the High-Performance Center and the Sports hostel were present at the ceremony.
Minister for Sports and Youth Services Tusharkanti Behera and Chairman, Odisha Hockey Promotion Council, Dilip Tirkey, secretary 5-T VK Pandian and secretary Sports R Veenil Krishna were also present.
