In a glittering ceremony in New Delhi, Hockey India held the first ever Hockey India Annual Awards. The Awards recognised the dedication and hard work of hockey players, coaches and administrators who represent and build the sport in the national and international arena. Guest of honour, was the Honourable Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal.
Hockey India conferred the Awards in the following categories of the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award to Balbir Singh Sr; the Dhruv Batra Award for Player of the Year (Men and Women) was awarded to Birendra Lakra and Vandana Katariya; Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution (for coaches and support staff) awarded to Harendra Singh and Hockey India President Award for Outstanding Achievement went to ‘One Thousand Hockey Legs’ for its exceptional contribution to the sport.
Further awards named after players who represented India in the past included; the Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men – Under 21) awarded to Harmanpreet Singh; Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women – Under 21) to Namita Toppo; Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year awarded to PR Sreejesh; Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year to Deepika; Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year given to Manpreet Singh and the Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year awarded to Akashdeep Singh for their efforts in continuing to uphold a healthy sports culture in the nation.
Speaking about the inaugural Hockey India Annual Awards, Honourable Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal said: “I would like to appreciate this initiative by Hockey India and feel proud of them. Would like to wish the teams and the players all the best and hope they win more accolades.”
Hockey India Annual Awards were also presented to players of the Indian team for their performance in various tournaments in the last 12 months. This included the Indian Men’s Hockey Team being recognised for their performance at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, where they bagged Silver and Gold respectively. Alongside this, the Indian Women’s team were commended for their performance in the Asian Games where they won the Bronze and the recent convincing win at the Hockey World League Round 2 event in New Delhi. The Jr. Men’s team were awarded for retaining their title in the Sultan of Johor Cup.
For the full list of winners, please click here.
For the Hockey India Annual Awards video, please click here.
Source Hockey India
