Odisha felicitates India's hockey stars after historic success at Tokyo Olympics
Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha, felicitated both the men's and women's team players with cash rewards and assured them full support.
Published : Aug 11, 2021 14:35 IST
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik felicitated the Indian hockey players from the state during a function at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas, members of the Indian men's team, were awarded Rs. 2.5 Crore each and were appointed as Deputy Superintendents in the Odisha state police department.
Deep Grace Ekka and Namita Toppo, part of the Indian women's team that reached its first-ever Olympic semifinals in Tokyo, were awarded Rs 50 Lakh each.
Lauding the performance of both teams, Patnaik advised them to continue their hard work and bring more laurels to the country, assuring them full support in the future.
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The vice-captains of both men’s and women’s teams, Lakra and Deep Grace Ekka presented the Chief minister team jerseys with signatures of all members. The next edition of the men's hockey World Cup will be played in Bhubaneswar in 2023.
The hockey players from the High-Performance Center and the Sports hostel were present during the ceremony.
Odisha sports minister Tusharkanti Behera, former India hockey captain Dilip Tirkey, secretary 5-T, V.K. Pandian, and sports secretary R. Vineel Krishna also attended the ceremony.