New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI): The captain of the Indian women's team Salima Tete was honored at the 7th Hockey India Awards were presented to her on Saturday following her team's victory and winning the gold medal at the Women's Asian Champions Trophy Rajgir 2024 held in Rajgir, Bihar, the previous year.
She conveyed her thanks to Hockey India At the federation's 7th Annual Awards ceremony, highlighting the players' duty to excel in their performances.
" Hockey India She said they are putting in tremendous effort for us, and we must reciprocate by performing excellently. "We promise to give our absolute best in each tournament," she stated to ANI.
When discussing the importance of the awards ceremony, Tete emphasized that it acts as an inspiration for the athletes participating and for the aspiring youngsters who watch it.
"This yearly event serves as excellent inspiration for us and for the children observing it live. Receiving an accolade happens only once in a lifetime, so I wish to extend my congratulations to all the recipients. This honor isn’t bestowed upon everybody—it’s a testament to their dedication and effort," she stated.
The Hockey India The 7th Annual Awards ceremony took place in New Delhi on March 15, gathering India's hockey community. The National Federation honored the nation’s top hockey players, officials, and legendary figures for their significant contributions to the sport and for bringing glory to the country, as stated in an official statement. Hockey India .
The significance of this year’s awards was heightened as they marked both the centennial celebration of Indian hockey by the governing body and the 50th anniversary of India’s legendary 1975 World Cup win. In honor of these milestones, Hockey India honored the players from the winning 1975 World Cup team Hockey India The Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award comes with a cash prize of INR 50 lakhs.
The memorable night witnessed prominent figures from Indian hockey gather and showcased an unprecedented prize fund of INR 12 crore, marking the largest in the sport’s history. Hockey India Annual Awards.
At the peak of the evening’s accolades, Savita and Harmanpreet Singh were recognised as the Hockey India The Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year 2024 recipients in the women's and men's categories, respectively.
The awards ceremony kicked off by celebrating India’s notable achievement from 2024—the country securing a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Members of the Indian Men's Hockey Team were honored with a shawl along with an individual prize of ₹15 lakhs, whereas reserve players got ₹5 lakhs each, and the coaching and supporting team received ₹7.5 lakhs per person for their efforts and dedication.
In the second group, eight states received recognition for their crucial contribution to advancing hockey and their exceptional achievements during the 14th competition. Hockey India In the National Championships 2024, teams from Hockey Haryana, Hockey Jharkhand, Hockey Association of Odisha, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, and Hockey Punjab claimed medals in different sections of the competition. Each team was presented with an award check worth INR 10 lakhs for their outstanding performances.
At the same time, the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu received the accolade of Best Member Unit of the Year 2024 due to their significant contributions towards transforming grassroots hockey via the inception of India’s inaugural statewide school hockey league—the Tamil Nadu School Hockey League. This pioneering effort included participation from 8 regions, encompassing 306 educational institutions with more than 5,500 participants engaging in over 500 games across approximately 45 locations, marking an important advancement for the game within the country.
The Indian men's and women's hockey teams were awarded INR 2.28 crore and INR 1.41 crore, respectively, as bonuses. These amounts encompassed a payment of INR 50,000 per player and INR 25,000 per support staff member for each international game victory.
In the Personal Accomplishment Honors, Harmanpreet Singh received a prize of INR 10 lakh for being named the FIH Men's Player of the Year 2024 at the FIH Hockey Star Awards 2024, along with an extra INR 1 lakh for his outstanding play during the Men's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 held in Hulunbuir City, China.
PR Sreejesh got INR 5 lakhs for receiving the title of FIH Men's Goalkeeper of the Year 2024. Deepika earned INR 1 lakh apiece for securing both the top goalscorer position and best player award at the Bihar Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 held in Rajgir, plus an additional INR 1 lakh for leading the goal-scoring chart at the Junior Women's Asia Cup 2024 in Muscat, Oman.
Araijeet Singh Hundal was awarded INR 1 lakh for being named the Player of the Tournament at the Junior Men's Asia Cup 2024 held in Muscat, Oman.
The Milestone Awards 2024 celebrated remarkable accomplishments in global hockey. Boby Singh Dhami, Rutaja Dadaso Pisal, and Sakshi Rana each earned an award of ₹100,000 for netting their first goals in an international game. Jarmanpreet Singh and Shamsher Singh were granted ₹100,000 apiece for achieving 100 international appearances. Meanwhile, Vivek Sagar Prasad and Sumit received awards worth ₹150,000 each for attaining 150 international matches under their belts. Amit Rohidas secured a prize of ₹200,000 for participating in his 200th international match, whereas Sushila Chanu was feted with ₹250,000 for her participation in her landmark 250th international contest.
The champions of the Men's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 held in Hulunbuir City, China, as well as those from the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 in Rajgir, Bihar, were awarded INR 3 lakhs for each player and INR 1.5 lakhs for every member of the support staff. In contrast, the victorious teams at both the Junior Men’s Asia Cup 2024 and the upcoming Junior Women’s Asia Cup 2025 earned INR 2 lakhs per player and INR 1 lakh per support staff member for their accomplishments.
In the meantime, the last classification within this category is Hockey India The Annual Awards 2024 commenced with Ripudaman Sharma emerging as the winner. Hockey India President Award for Umpire/Umpires Manager of the Year 2024 and received an honorarium of INR 2.5 lakh. Anil Kumar P K was bestowed this recognition. Hockey India President's Award for Technical Official of the Year 2024, along with an INR 2.5 lakh prize.
The Hockey India The President's Award for Exceptional Success in 2024 went to the Beighton Cup Hockey Tournament, receiving an award of INR 5 lakhs. Furthermore, the Hockey India The Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution 2024 was bestowed upon Prasar Bharati, India's national public broadcasting company, which serves as the official channel for theHero. Hockey India The League 2024-25 has played a key part in broadening the league’s presence throughout India and internationally.
The award ceremony witnessed Savita securing the esteemed Hockey India The Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year 2024 went to Savita, who received INR 5 lakh plus a trophy. As a key player on the Indian women’s national hockey team, she played an essential role in their achievements, marking this as her second consecutive Goalkeeper of the Year honor.
Amit Rohidas, acknowledged as one of the globe’s top first rushers, claimed victory Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Best Defender 2024, receives INR 5 lakh.
Hardik Singh, who had previously secured both the Men's Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year accolades, has now added another title to his achievements. Hockey India The Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year 2024, which includes a prize of INR 5 lakh.
At the same time, Abhishek, an essential player in India's attacking lineup, kept his position. Hockey India The Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year, which includes INR 5 lakh and a trophy as recognition.
Deepika along with Aarjeet Singh Hundal, who experienced significant success with both their junior and senior squads during the year, claimed the championships. Hockey India The Asunta Lakra Award for Emerging Female Player of the Year 2024 (Under-21) Hockey India The Jugraj Singh Award for Emerging Male Player of the Year 2024 (Under-21) was presented to them, with each recipient receiving INR 10 lakhs along with a trophy. This marked Araijeet's second successive time winning the title of Emerging Male Player of the Year.
Savita, having recently achieved her 300th international cap and playing a crucial role in the Indian women's hockey team's achievements, has now claimed her third. Hockey India The Balbir Singh Senior Award for Player of the Year 2024 went to a woman player. Simultaneously, the present captain of the Indian men’s team, who guided India to a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics as well as multiple significant wins, secured his second consecutive Senior Player of the Year accolade. This athlete had previously been bestowed this honor during the 4th Annual Awards ceremony in 2021. Each awardee was presented with INR 25 lakhs along with a commemorative trophy.
At a crucial juncture, the 1975 World Cup-winning squad was feted for their achievements. Hockey India The Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024 has been announced with a prize of INR 50 lakh. Distinguished former athletes who graced the event were Leslie Fernandez, Onkar Singh, Ashok Diwan, B P Govinda, Kaliah P E, Brigadier HJS Chimni, V J Phillips (who was the top scorer in the tournament), Ashok Kumar, Aslam Sher Khan, and Brigadier Harcharan Singh.
Ashok Kumar accepted the accolade on behalf of team leader Ajit Pal Singh, with Chanchal Randhawa (the widow of the late Surjit Singh), Naveen Pawar (the son of the late Shivaji Pawar), Satpal Singh (the brother of the late Mohinder Singh), Manjeet Kaur (the wife of the late Varinder Singh), and Sheela Kindo (the spouse of the late Michael Kindo) all attending this significant event. (ANI)
