Hockey as a sport has seen a transformation in the past year. Back-to-back Olympic bronze medals for the men’s team, Asian Champions Trophy wins for the men’s, women’s, and junior teams, the resurrection of the Hockey India League—Indian hockey is on the rise, with players, coaches, and officials determined to take it even higher.
At the RevSportz Tata Steel Trailblazers 3.0 Conclave, a session was dedicated to celebrating Indian hockey ahead of its 100-year anniversary. The message was clear—Indian hockey is making waves and will continue to do so. PR Sreejesh, Harmanpreet Singh, Bholanath Singh, and Harendra Singh shared their vision and aspirations for the teams.
Sreejesh reflected on his incredible career and what it means to him to now lead the junior team, which has already won an Asian Champions Trophy under his coaching. Bholanath confirmed that Harmanpreet will remain the team’s leader through to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Meanwhile, women’s head coach Harendra Singh inspired confidence in the future of women’s hockey, despite the team’s failure to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
“I treat them like my own brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and I leave no stone unturned to provide for them. My only ask of them is that they give their hearts out and win medals for the country. If you look back at the golden period in Indian hockey when we used to win back-to-back gold medals, they were all Indian players, right? So why can’t we do that today? I can assure you that Indian hockey’s golden period is coming back soon,” added the Secretary General.
On a wonderful evening in Delhi on March 15, Hockey India celebrated 100 years of the sport while simultaneously honouring the players, coaches, and staff for their hard work and achievements.
The awards night was filled with celebration and anticipation, featuring energetic dance performances, an enthusiastic crowd, and a shared hope for the future. Among the evening’s top honours, Indian captains—Harmanpreet won Player of the Year (Men), while Savita bagged the Player of the Year (Women) award. Each received a trophy along with a cash prize of INR 25 lakh.
This year’s ceremony held special significance, celebrating 100 years of Indian hockey while also marking 50 years since the historic 1975 World Cup victory. To honour this golden jubilee, Hockey India bestowed the Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award upon the victorious 1975 World Cup squad, along with a cash prize of INR 50 lakh. Across categories, Hockey India awarded a total of Rs 12 crore in prize money to players, coaches and staff.
A highlight of the ceremony was the recognition of India’s bronze medal-winning campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Each member of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team was awarded INR 15 lakh, with alternate players receiving INR 5 lakh and support staff INR 7.5 lakh for their contributions.
But what stood out was Hockey India’s dedication to recognise state association for their contributions to the sport—Hockey Haryana, Hockey Jharkhand, Hockey Association of Odisha, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, and Hockey Punjab—received INR 10 lakh each for their remarkable performances in the 14th Hockey India National Championships 2024.
Key Award Winners at the Hockey India 7th Annual Awards 2024: