HI announces cash prize to boost morale of Indian team ahead of Hockey World Cup

The Indian Men’s Hockey Team are eyeing a historic campaign at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela in January and in a bid to motivate them further, Hockey India, on Wednesday, announced cash prizes for the team and the support staff.

HI will reward the members of the Indian team led by Harmanpreet Singh with ₹25 lakh each for a Gold Medal-winning feat at the prestigious quadrennial event while the members of the support staff will be honoured with ₹5 Lakhs each. India last stood on the World Cup podium in 1975 where they lifted the coveted title beating Pakistan in the Final held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A Silver medal would see the players walk away with ₹15 Lakhs while the support staff would be awarded ₹3 Lakhs for their role in the campaign. And a Bronze Medal feat by Harmanpreet and Co will see them being awarded with ₹10 Lakhs each, while the support staff would be entitled to a prize of ₹2 Lakhs.

“Finishing on the podium at a Senior Men’s World Cup is not an easy task, and we hope this announcement will further increase the motivation levels of the already glory-hungry Indian Men’s Hockey Team. Winning a medal in a home World Cup would surely go down as one of the best memories for the players in their decorated careers. We wish them the very best for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela,” said Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey.

“The Indian Men’s Hockey Team is the pride of the nation and we want them to scale all the possible peaks in the sport. To help them achieve that, and to further motivate them towards this target, we have announced this prize for the team. Harmanpreet and Co are very able and talented players and we are sure they will do the best they can to finish with a medal,” said Hockey India’s secretary Bholanath Singh.

This announcement by Hockey India will be a shot in the arm for the team who are leaving no stone unturned in their preparations for the mega event on home soil where they hope to end the wait to stand on the podium. India has previously won three medals at this prestigious event. The team registered a Bronze Medal at the first edition of the prestigious event in 1971 followed by a Silver Medal in Amstelveen Hockey World Cup in 1973 apart from a title win in 1975.

The Indian team, which is in pool D with England, Spain, and Wales, will begin their campaign on January 13 in the newly built Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela against Spain, followed by their second pool D match against England. They will travel to Bhubaneswar for their third pool match against Wales. The knockout stage will begin with crossover matches on the 22nd January and 23rd January, followed by quarterfinals on the 25th January and semifinals on the 27th January. The Bronze Medal match and the Final will be held on 29th January.

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