Odisha Chief Minister Naveenn Patnaik announced his sponsorship of Indian hockey for another 10 years after the teams' impressive performance at the Tokyo Olympics. Each player has been awarded 10 lakh and each supporting staff 5 lakh by the state government.
"You made us all so proud of your energetic fight in Tokyo. These are very emotional moments for India to witness the revival of Indian hockey. For nearly four decades, hockey fans have been eager to see India win a medal in the Olympic Games". Mr. Patnaik Congratulates to the hockey teams.
"The way the whole country has been glued to the screens to watch team games, it's pretty clear that there is more to hockey than just sport. In this pandemic, it's remarkable that our teams have worked so hard despite all the challenges and come out victorious. "
Noting that in these times of crisis, the teams have brought smiles on the faces of crores of Indian, Mr. Patnaik said: “We in Odisha are happy that our partnership with Hockey India has led to such a great achievement for the country. I believe Odisha and hockey are destined to become synonymous. Odisha will support hockey teams for another 10 years."
After Sahara's sponsorship of Indian hockey ended, Odisha went through its public sector unit, Odisha Mining Corporation, to sponsor national teams (men / women, junior / old) in 2018. The sponsorship was 140 crore for a period of five years.
Mr. Patnaik gave13 different awards. While Harmanpreet Singh won the player with the most goals scored, PR Sreejesh was awarded for saving the most goals. Each team presented a framed jersey signed by the players to CM. The government also awarded 50 lakh rupees to Hockey India.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Patnaik and the people of Odisha for showing their love and affection for the sport. With your continued support, Indian Hockey looks forward to building on the achievements of the Tokyo Olympics and continue this steady rise to take it back to the elite level where it belongs,” said Narinder Dhruv Batra, president of the Indian Olympic Association.
Odisha Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera, departmental Secretary R. Vineel Krishna and chairman of the Odisha Hockey promotion council Dilip Tirkey were present.
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