Bhubaneswar: Odisha is gearing up to welcome the Indian hockey team that won the bronze medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympics 2024, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Suryabanshi Suraj stated here Tuesday. Suraj informed that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will felicitate the Indian hockey team members at Lok Seva Bhavan’s Convention Centre here Wednesday.
He added that a grand welcome has been planned for the Olympic heroes. “The Indian hockey team will arrive in Odisha tomorrow (Wednesday) at about noon and hold a road show from Biju Patnaik International Airport to the Kalinga Stadium.
Later, the team will be felicitated by the CM,” Suraj said at a press conference. Meanwhile, the state government, which is the official sponsor of the Indian hockey team, both men and women, has announced Rs 15 lakh cash prize each for the players and Rs 10 lakh for each supporting staff who participated in the Paris Olympics. Suraj said that the Indian men’s hockey team have made the country proud by winning the second consecutive Olympic medal. The minister said this victory will inspire the youths of Odisha and India. The men’s hockey team defeated Spain 2-1 to finish with the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
In the semifinals, they suffered a huge heartbreak losing 2-3 to Germany. Suraj pointed out that Odisha has been supporting sports and games with a special focus on hockey. The Odisha government has been sponsoring the hockey team since 2018 when the sport struggled financially. The previous BJD government led by Naveen Patnaik supported the team when they were in dire need of a sponsor. The present state government will support the team till 2036 as its commitment towards long-term support to the game.
