Hockey India offered cash awards for the players and the support personnel on Wednesday in an effort to further stimulate the Indian men’s hockey team as they prepare for a historic run at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela in January.
The National Governing Body for Hockey will award the players of the Indian team, captained by Harmanpreet Singh, with INR 25 lakh (£25,000) apiece for their achievement in winning a gold medal at the famous quadrennial event, while the members of the support staff will be recognised with INR 5 lakh (£5,000) each.
India last appeared on the World Cup podium in 1975 when they triumphed over Pakistan in the championship match played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Indian team’s potential cash reward
The players would receive INR 15 lakhs (£15,000) for a silver medal, and the support staff would receive INR 3 lakhs (£3,000) for their contributions to the campaign. In addition, if Harmanpreet and his team win a bronze medal, they would receive INR 10 lakhs (£10,000) each, while the support personnel will receive INR 2 lakhs (£2,000).
The decision to do the aforementioned was reached by the Hockey India Executive Board in a virtual meeting on Saturday, December 24, 2022, in an effort to raise the mood of the Indian Team ahead of the prestigious competition, in which 16 of the best teams in the globe will compete for medals.
“Being on the podium at a Senior Men’s World Cup is no easy feat, therefore we’re hoping that this announcement will further fuel the already competitive Indian Men’s Hockey Team’s desire for glory.
“One of the players’ fondest recollections from their illustrious careers would undoubtedly be winning a medal at a World Cup held at home. In preparation for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2023, Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, we send our warmest wishes to them,” according to a formal statement issued by HI, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey.
“Being the pride of the country, we want the Indian Men’s Hockey Team to reach all the sport’s highest elevations. We’ve announced this prize for the squad to assist them in doing that and to further spur them on to reach their goal.
“Our team is confident that Harmanpreet and co. will exert all of their effort to finish with a medal because they are very skilled and capable athletes,”according to Bholanath Singh, the secretary general of Hockey India.
In their third pool encounter, they will travel to Bhubaneswar to face Wales. Crossover matches on January 22 and 23 are the first round of the knockout round. The quarterfinals are on January 25, and the semifinals are on January 27. On January 29, the Final as well as the Bronze Medal game will take place.
Amit Rohidas, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Rajkumar Pal, and Jugraj Singh make up the Indian team. Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Sreejesh.
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