Patna, Sep 19 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday felicitated the victorious Indian men’s hockey team, which clinched the Hero Asia Cup 2025 title in Rajgir, with cash rewards and citations at a ceremony held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Patna.
As part of the honour, each player, head coach, and assistant coach received a cash award of Rs 10 lakh, while the support staff were awarded Rs 5 lakh each along with a citation.
The CM handed over a symbolic cheque of Rs 2.5 crore to team captain Harmanpreet Singh for distribution among the 20 players and 10 support staff members.
Congratulating the team on their remarkable achievement, Nitish Kumar said the victory had brought immense pride to the nation and Bihar.
He wished the players a bright future and posed for a group photograph with the team and officials.
The Men’s Hockey Asia Cup 2025 was hosted at the State Sports Academy-cum-Bihar Sports University, Rajgir, from August 29 to September 7, where India defeated South Korea in the final to lift the trophy.
Eight Asian hockey powerhouses participated in the tournament, including China, Japan, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, Bangladesh, and the finalists India and South Korea.
Following India’s triumph, he promptly announced the cash rewards for the players and staff.
The CM had similarly felicitated the Indian women’s hockey team earlier this year for their Asia Cup victory in Rajgir.
At Friday’s event, Hockey India General Secretary Bhola Nath Singh presented a memento to the Chief Minister.
Team captain Harmanpreet Singh expressed gratitude, saying, “I thank Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for this honour. We have felt the passion for hockey among the people of Bihar. Under your leadership, Bihar has seen significant change, and this love for sports is being praised everywhere.”
A documentary film on the successful organisation of the Hero Asia Cup 2025 was also screened during the ceremony.
The event was attended by Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar, Principal Secretary to the CM Deepak Kumar, Development Commissioner Dr S. Siddharth, and senior officials of the Bihar government.
–IANS
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