Bhubaneswar: Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera on Tuesday felicitated the sportspersons of Odisha for their performance at the 36th National Games 2022.
The Minister presented cash awards to the sportspersons at a ceremony held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Chairman, Odisha Hockey Promotion Council, Dilip Tirkey and Sports Secretary, R Vineel Krishna were present at the event organised by the Sports and Youth Services department.
Two athletes of Odisha who represented Services, Dinesh Kumar (3 Golds in Cycling) and Muna Nayak (1 Silver in Weightlifting) were also felicitated.
As announced by the state government, the winners of team and individual sports of the National Games that was played in Gujarat, were presented Rs 5 lakh for gold medal, Rs 3 lakh for silver and Rs 2 lakh for bronze medal. Total cash award of Rs 3.16 crore was given out to 100 athletes.
Congratulating the medalists, the Minister said, “It gives me immense delight and pride to felicitate our young winners. Their hard work and dedication have paid off. They have given their best at the National Games and brought glory for the state. I am confident that they will surge ahead in the respective fields of sports and we will continue to support them.”
Tirkey interacted with the winners and encouraged them to stay focused on their game to achieve greater success in coming years.
Odisha Women’s Rugby team won gold medal and were felicitated with Rs 60 lakh as total team cash prize. Similarly, Kho Kho women’s team was awarded Rs 45 lakh for winning silver. Maximum medals were won by Kayaking & Canoeing and Rowing athletes.
