Odisha CM felicitates Tokyo-returned hockey players, offers cash awards

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik felicitated the Indian hockey players from his state. This event took place on Wednesday. The chief minister of the state awarded the hockey team players with cash. This was a felicitation for their awesome performance at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. This time, the hockey team delivered a massive deliverance by winning a bronze medal in the hockey team. The women hockey team had also made the record by qualifying for the semi-finals. While the players Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas were awarded a cash reward of 2.5 crores from the Mens Hockey Team, female players named Deep Grace Ekka and Namita Toppo were rewarded with a cash price of 50 Lakh each. This time, the Olympics had been an exemplary event for the Indian hockey team. Both the male and female teams made India proud. While the women’s hockey team were just on the verge of winning bronze, the men’s team earned it after 41 years. 

Major Dhyanchand was a hockey player from India who got three consecutive gold medals in the Olympics. The Odisha government had many plans for the two hockey players from his state. Birendra and Amit were offered letters for appointment to act as deputy superintendent of police in the Odisha state police. The felicitation event took place in the Kalinga stadium, located in Bhubaneswar. He motivated the young players to continue performing well and bringing more and more accolades to the country. 

Interestingly, Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik is one of the strongest patrons of hockey teams. The players from both teams presented their chief minister with the team jersey with signatures of all the team members as a token of respect to the person for his contributions in supporting the teams. The Kalinga Stadium is also set to host the next Hockey World Cup. These little felicitations motivate the players to continue achieving big for the country. India is already celebrating its 7 medal wins in Olympics.