New Delhi [India], March 15 (ANI): At Hockey India's 7th Annual Awards 2024, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju reflected on India's rich legacy in hockey, highlighting the country's dominance in the sport's early years.

Speaking at the event, Rijiju recalled how India's journey began in Amsterdam and how the nation went on to establish itself as the undisputed powerhouse of the game.

'In Amsterdam, we all know how our journey started, and we won a Gold medal (in Hockey at the Olympics). Then we became the 'Badshah' of Hockey,' Rijiju remarked.

He further speculated on what could have been if the Second World War had not disrupted the Olympic cycle.

'Hadn't there been the Second World War, we could have won the 1940 Gold medal in London as well. The 1944 Olympics were also postponed, otherwise, we had the chance there as well,' he said, underlining India's formidable squad during that era.

India's golden era in hockey saw them clinch six consecutive Olympic gold medals from 1928 to 1956, cementing their status as the most dominant team in the sport. Rijiju's remarks served as a reminder of the country's glorious past and the potential that could have been further realized had global events not interrupted the Olympic schedule.

The Hockey India 7th Annual Awards 2024 brought together the Indian hockey fraternity in New Delhi on March 15. The National Federation celebrated the country's finest hockey stars, officials, and legends who have made immense contributions to the sport and brought pride to the nation year after year, according to a release from Hockey India.

This year's awards held special significance as the apex body celebrated 100 years of Indian hockey and marked the golden jubilee of India's historic 1975 World Cup victory.

To commemorate this milestone, Hockey India felicitated the members of the victorious 1975 World Cup squad with the Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award, along with a cash prize of RS 50 lakh.

The unforgettable evening, which saw some of the biggest names in Indian hockey come together, featured a record prize pool of Rs 12 crore, the highest ever in the history of the Hockey India Annual Awards.

Among the evening's top honours, Savita and Harmanpreet Singh were recognised as the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year 2024 winners in the Women's and Men's categories, respectively.

The awards ceremony began by honouring the biggest highlight of 2024--India's bronze medal win at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The members of the Indian Men's Hockey Team were felicitated with a scarf and a cash award of Rs 15 lakh each; alternate players received Rs 5 lakh each, and support staff were awarded Rs 7.5 lakh each in recognition of their contributions.

In the second category, eight states were honoured for their pivotal role in promoting hockey and their outstanding performances at the 14th Hockey India National Championships 2024. Hockey Haryana, Hockey Jharkhand, Hockey Association of Odisha, Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, and Hockey Punjab each won medals across various categories of the tournament and were awarded a cheque of Rs 10 lakh each in recognition of their achievements.

Meanwhile, the Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu was awarded Best Member Unit of the Year 2024 for its monumental efforts in revolutionising grassroots hockey through the Tamil Nadu School Hockey League--India's first-ever statewide school hockey league.

This initiative featured 8 districts, 306 schools, over 5,500 players, 500+ matches, and 45+ venues, making it a remarkable step forward for the sport.

Both the Indian Men's and Women's Hockey Teams received Rs 2.28 crore and Rs 1.41 crore, respectively, as incentives. This included a reward of Rs 50,000 for each player and Rs 25,000 for each support staff member for every international match won.

In the Individual Achievement Awards, Harmanpreet Singh was honoured with Rs 10 lakh for winning the FIH Men's Player of the Year 2024 at the FIH Hockey Star Awards 2024 and an additional Rs 1 lakh for the Play of the Tournament at the Men's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 in Hulunbuir City, China.

PR Sreejesh received Rs 5 lakh for being named FIH Men's Goalkeeper of the Year 2024. Deepika was awarded Rs 1 lakh each for finishing as the Leading Goal Scorer and Best Player of the Tournament at the Bihar Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024, Rajgir, and another Rs 1 lakh for being the Leading Goal scorer at the Junior Women's Asia Cup 2024, Muscat, Oman.

Araijeet Singh Hundal was also recognized with Rs 1 lakh for winning the Player of the Tournament at the Junior Men's Asia Cup 2024, Muscat, Oman.

The Milestone Awards 2024 recognised outstanding achievements in international hockey. Boby Singh Dhami, Rutaja Dadaso Pisal, and Sakshi Rana were awarded Rs 1 lakh each for scoring a goal in their debut match.

Jarmanpreet Singh and Shamsher Singh received Rs 1 lakh each for completing 100 international caps, while Vivek Sagar Prasad and Sumit were awarded RS 1.5 lakh each for reaching 150 international caps. Amit Rohidas received Rs 2 lakh for completing 200 international caps, and Sushila Chanu was honoured with Rs 2.5 lakh for reaching 250 international caps.

The title-winning teams of the Men's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 in Hulunbuir City, China, and the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 in Rajgir, Bihar, were each rewarded with RS 3 lakh per player and Rs 1.5 lakh per support staff. Meanwhile, the Junior Men's Asia Cup 2024 and Junior Women's Asia Cup 2025 winning teams received Rs 2 lakh per player and Rs 1 lakh per support staff in recognition of their achievements.

Meanwhile, the final category of the Hockey India Annual Awards 2024 began with Ripudaman Sharma winning the Hockey India President Award for Umpire/Umpires Manager of the Year 2024, receiving Rs 2.5 lakh. Anil Kumar P K was honoured with the Hockey India President Award for Technical Official of the Year 2024, also receiving Rs 2.5 lakh.

The Hockey India President Award for Outstanding Achievement 2024 was awarded to the Beighton Cup Hockey Tournament, which received Rs 5 lakh. Additionally, the Hockey India Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution 2024 was presented to Prasar Bharati, the official broadcaster of the Hero Hockey India League 2024-25, for its role in expanding the league's reach across India and globally.

The awards ceremony saw Savita winning the prestigious Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year 2024, receiving Rs 5 lakh along with a trophy. A pivotal member of the Indian women's hockey team, Savita has been instrumental in its success and this was her second Goalkeeper of the Year title.

Recognised as one of the world's best first-rushers, Amit Rohidas won the Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year 2024, receiving RS 5 lakh.

Hardik Singh, who previously won both the Men's Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year awards, clinched the Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year 2024, receiving Rs 5 lakh.

Meanwhile, Abhishek, a key figure in India's forward line, retained his Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year, also receiving Rs 5 lakh and a trophy.

Deepika and Araijeet Singh Hundal, who had breakthrough years with both junior and senior teams, won the titles Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year 2024 (Women Under-21) and Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year 2024 (Men Under-21), respectively, receiving Rs 10 lakh and a trophy each. This was Araijeet's second consecutive award as Upcoming Men's Player of the Year.

Savita, who recently earned her 300th international cap and has been instrumental in the Indian women's hockey team's successes, secured her third Hockey India Balbir Singh Senior Award for Player of the Year 2024 (Women).

Meanwhile, the current Indian men's team captain, who led India to a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics and several other memorable victories, won his second Senior Player of the Year award. He was honoured with the same at the 4th Annual Awards in 2021. Both players received Rs 25 lakh and a trophy.

In a moment of great significance, the 1975 World Cup-winning team was honoured with the Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award 2024, with Rs 50 lakh. The legendary players present on the occasion included Leslie Fernandez, Onkar Singh, Ashok Diwan, B P Govinda, Kaliah P E, Brigadier HJS Chimni, VJ Phillips (the leading scorer in the competition), Ashok Kumar, Aslam Sher Khan, and Brigadier Harcharan Singh.

Ashok Kumar received the award on behalf of the team captain, Ajit Pal Singh, while Chanchal Randhawa (wife of Late Surjit Singh), Naveen Pawar (son of Late Shivaji Pawar), Satpal Singh (brother of Late Mohinder Singh), Manjeet Kaur (wife of Late Varinder Singh), and Sheela Kindo (wife of Late Michael Kindo) were also present on this momentous occasion. (ANI)