The fifth annual Hockey India Awards ceremony was conducted on Friday in New Delhi to acknowledge and commemorate the exceptional achievements of Indian field hockey players and officials in 2021 and 2022.
Follow Us
The fifth annual Hockey India Awards ceremony was conducted on Friday in New Delhi to acknowledge and commemorate the exceptional achievements of Indian field hockey players and officials in 2021 and 2022. Hardik Singh, vice-captain of the Indian men’s hockey team, and Savita Punia, captain of the Indian women’s hockey team, were selected winners of the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of the Year 2022 in the men’s and women’s competitions, respectively. In addition, Savita Punia received the Player of the Year 2021 title. Harmanpreet Singh, the current captain of the Indian men’s hockey team, won the honor in the men’s division.
The celebration honored Indian hockey players and officials who had accomplished remarkable feats and received individual awards in addition to the individual prizes. Manpreet Singh and Rani Rampal, two former Indian captains, received awards for reaching 300 and 250 international appearances. For each of their 200 international appearances, Navjot Kaur and Mandeep Singh also made the list. Neha Goyal, Navneet Kaur, and Lalremsiami were awarded for their 100 international appearances. Harmanpreet Singh received two milestone honors for his 150 international appearances and his 100 goals for India. Karthi Selvam also earned recognition for his first-ever goal, and umpire Javed Shaikh was honored for his 150th senior international match presiding.
Read more: Hockey India introduces program for Grassroot development
On the occasion, Hockey India also recognized Indian teams’ accomplishments. The Indian junior men’s hockey team that won the Sultan of Johor Cup 2022 and the Indian women’s hockey team that won the gold medal at the FIH Women’s Nations Cup Spain 2022 were both rewarded. Gurbux Singh, a gold medalist from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and Amit Singh
Bakshi, a member of the Indian men’s squad that won gold in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, earned the Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award for 2022 and 2021, respectively. Janneke Schopman, the head coach of the Indian women’s team, obtained a prize for being selected the FIH Coach of the Year 2021–22, and PR Sreejesh and Savita Punia received honors for being named the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year 2021–22 in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.
Read more: A peek into the history of the Men’s Hockey World Cup
Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award – Gurbux Singh
Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of the Year (Men) – Hardik Singh
Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of the Year (women) – Savita Punia
Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (U21 men) – Uttam Singh
Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (U21 women) – Mumtaz Khan
Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year – Vandana Katariya
Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year – Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam
Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year – Harmanpreet Singh
Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year – Krishan B Pathak
Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution – Pritam Siwach
President Award for Outstanding Achievement – Hockey Ace Foundation
President Award for Umpire/Umpire Manager – Gurinder Singh Sangha
President Award for Technical Official – Mohd Mogul Muneer
Read more: What went wrong for India at the men’s hockey world cup 2023?
