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Paris Olympics 2024: 6 Indian athletes who will be featuring in their last Olympics in Paris

The contingent has some young faces who will be making their debut in the Paris Olympics 2024 while some players will be playing in their last Olympics.

Jul 18, 2024, 2:13 PM6 min read

Paris Olympics 2024: 6 Indian athletes who will be featuring in their last Olympics in Paris

There are only a few days left for Paris Olympics 2024 to start. Veteran players from all over the world are now making final preparations to win medals for their country. A total of 117 athletes will be seen representing India in the Olympics. The contingent has some young faces who will be making their debut while some players will be playing in their last Olympics. So, let's take a look at the 6 Indian players who will be featuring in their last Olympics in Paris.

Also Read: Most Olympic Games without any medal: Monaco, Myanmar and Bangladesh in top 30

#1 Achanta Sharath Kamal

Paris Olympics 2024: 6 Indian athletes who will be featuring in their last Olympics in Paris - Sportzpoint.com

Achanta Sharath Kamal is arguably the greatest table tennis player to have graced the court representing the Indian tri-color. He will be featured in his fifth and likely his last Olympic games as he takes charge at the Paris Olympics 2024. Sharath Kamal has been selected as the flag bearer along with PV Sindhu by the Indian Olympic Committee. Born on July 12, 1982, Sharath Kamal has just recently turned 42 and will be one of the oldest athletes to participate in the Olympics. 

In his 22-year-long career, Sharath Kamal has won eight gold, three silver, and three bronze medals in Commonwealth Games. Apart from CWG's success, Sharath Kamal boasts the record of being the only player to have won the Senior National Championships for a total of 10 times. Sharath Kamal has also won two bronze medals at the Asian Games and three bronze medals at the Asian Championships.

Despite his tremendous record at the National level and in Asia, Sharath Kamal has yet to win a medal at the Olympic Games.

#2 Rohan Bopanna

Paris Olympics 2024: 6 Indian athletes who will be featuring in their last Olympics in Paris - Sportzpoint.com

Tennis superstar Rohan Bopanna will be participating in men's doubles alongside Sriram Balaji at the Paris Olympics 2024. He recently became the oldest player to be ranked number one in men's doubles. This will be Bopanna's last Olympics as the 44-year-old is the oldest member of the Indian contingent with the table tennis player Sharath Kamal being the closest as the 42-year-old. 

Since turning pro in 2003 Bopanna has been one of the flag-bearers of Indian tennis. Bopanna also has won the French Open (mixed doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski). Recently Bopanna won the Australian Open Grand Slam in January and reached the semi-finals at the French Open in June. He represented India at the London 2012 Games and Rio 2016 but an injury denied him the chance to feature at the Tokyo Olympics.

Also Read: Top 10 Indian athletes who can win a medal at Paris Olympics 2024

#3 HS Prannoy

Paris Olympics 2024: 6 Indian athletes who will be featuring in their last Olympics in Paris - Sportzpoint.com

HS Prannoy, who will be making his first appearance at the Olympics, is determined to fulfill his dream of competing on the Olympics stage, even though it has come later in his career than he might have hoped.

At 32, an age when many badminton players consider retirement, Prannoy put together his best year on the circuit to become India’s No.1 shuttler, a feat he had never achieved previously. The man from Kerala is known to be one of the best Indian players to pick up the racquet. A world championship and Asian Games medalist, HS Prannoy was a crucial part of the Thomas Cup-winning Indian team in 2022. In 2023, he ended India's wait of 41 years to win a medal in the men's singles category at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. He also won the silver medal at the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympics in 2010 in Singapore.

#4 PR Sreejesh

Paris Olympics 2024: 6 Indian athletes who will be featuring in their last Olympics in Paris - Sportzpoint.com

A veteran of three Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Cups, PR Sreejesh will be playing his fourth Olympic Games and probably his last, joining legends like Dhanraj Pillay who have represented the Indian team four times at the Olympic Games.

Having made his debut at the 2010 World Cup, Sreejesh has been part of various memorable wins for India, which include a Bronze medal in Jakarta-Palembang, joint winning team of the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018, Gold medal winning team of the 2019 FIH Men's Series Finals in Bhubaneswar and Silver medal winning team at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The 36-year-old goalie was one of the main architects of India's historic Bronze medal win at the Tokyo Olympics.

Also Read: India at Olympics: India's Olympic medal tally by every edition

#5 Vinesh Phogat

Paris Olympics 2024: 6 Indian athletes who will be featuring in their last Olympics in Paris - Sportzpoint.com

Making a strong comeback to the international arena after leading a prolonged protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat locked the Paris Olympics quota. The 29-year-old Vinesh has secured her third straight Olympic quota, having featured in the 2016 Rio Games and the 2020 edition Tokyo.

The road to Paris was not easy for Vinesh Phogat. The Indian wrestler had to drop down from the 53 kg to the 50 kg weight category to compete in the event, as Antim Panghal had already secured a berth in the former category. Vinesh also underwent knee surgery, which could affect her performance in the relatively unfamiliar category she has opted for in the Paris Olympics.

#6 Manpreet Singh

Paris Olympics 2024: 6 Indian athletes who will be featuring in their last Olympics in Paris - Sportzpoint.com

India midfielder Manpreet Singh has hinted that the Paris Olympics could end up being his last one as India looks for another medal in men's hockey. 32-year-old Manpreet, who will be playing his 4th Olympics, captained the side when they broke a 41-year-old Olympic medal drought in Tokyo by bagging the bronze. Besides, Manpreet has been a member of the team that won the 2014 and 2022 Asian Games gold medals.

But the journey from Mithapur village in Jalandhar to Paris has not been smooth sailing for Manpreet. He had to fight poverty, false allegations and witness mother’s struggles to make a mark in his career. After the Tokyo Olympics, Manpreet had to endure the worst phase of his career when former coach Sjoerd Marijne leveled serious allegations against him.

Manpreet is no longer captain of the side with Harmanpreet Singh taking over the responsibility, but the star mid-fielder knows his role in the team as one of the senior-most member.

Next Article

Full list of nominations of Hockey India Annual Awards 2024

Hardik Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Sangita Kumari and Savita Punia have been nominated for the Hockey India Best Player Award in the Hockey India Annual Awards 2024.

Mar 11, 2025, 8:07 AM3 min read

Full list of nominations of Hockey India Annual Awards 2024 | sportzpoint.com
Deepika has been nominated for the Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year. Image | Hockey India

Hockey India have announced all the nominations for the 7th Hockey India Annual Awards 2024. The award ceremony will take place on 15th March in New Delhi with a record prize pool of approx INR 12 crores. 

Read Also | Yo-Yo Test: Hardik Singh’s Revelation Sparks Debate Between Fitness of Cricketers and Hockey Players

A total of 32 players have been nominated across eight categories for the award ceremony this year. Among all the awards, the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year will be under the spotlight which will honour the best male and female hockey players of India. 

PR Sreejesh - Full list of nominations of Hockey India Annual Awards 2024 | sportzpoint.com
PR Sreejesh has been nominated for the Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year 2024. Image | Hockey India

During the ceremony, India’s Olympic bronze medal-winning team will be felicitated, along with the Men’s and Women’s teams that won the Asian Champions Trophy in 2024. The Junior Asia Cup-winning Men’s and Women’s teams will also be honoured during the award ceremony.

The award ceremony will also celebrate 50th anniversary of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team’s historic World Cup victory on the same date in 1975—their first and only title to date.

Read Also | The New Age Indian Hockey Stars: Who to Watch in 2025

The Nominees for the Hockey India Annual Awards 2024 are:

Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year 2024 

1. Bichu Devi Kharibam

 2. Krishan Bahadur Pathak

 3. PR Sreejesh

 4. Savita 

Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year 2023

1. Sanjay

2. Amit Rohidas

3. Harmanpreet Singh

4. Udita

 Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year 2024

1. Jarmanpreet Singh 

2. Hardik Singh

3. Nilakanta Sharma

 4. Sumit

Read Also | Amir Ali: A Journey From "tin briefcase" to Hockey Glory

 Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year 2024 

1. Lalremsiami

2. Abhishek

3. Sukhjeet Singh

4. Navneet Kaur

 Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women – Under 21) 

1. Beauty Dungdung

2. Deepika

3. Vaishnavi Vithal Phalke

4. Sunelita Toppo

Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men – Under 21)

 1. Arshdeep Singh

 2. Amir Ali

 3. Shardanand Tiwari

 4. Araijeet Singh Hundal

Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Women)

1. Savita Punia

 2. Salima Tete

 3. Sangita Kumari

 4. Navneet Kaur

Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Men)

1. Abhishek

2. Hardik Singh

3. Harmanpreet Singh

 4. Sukhjeet Singh

Next Article

Indian Sports Persons To Win Padma Awards: Full list of 273 names

Former hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin are among five sportspersons named for the Padma Awards 2025 by the Indian government. Here's the full list of 273 Padma Awards and 1 Bharat Ratna in Sports so far.

Jan 27, 2025, 10:32 AM8 min read

Indian Sports Persons To Win Padma Awards: Full list of 273 names - Sportzpoint.com

Before the Republic Day, the Central Government has announced the Padma Awards, in which this year 5 Indian sportspersons have been honored for their outstanding contribution.

Veteran Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be awarded the Padma Bhushan for winning two consecutive Olympic medals.

While India's great cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin will receive the Padma Shri.

Also Read: Major sports events in India 2025 - full calendar

The Padma Bhushan is India's third-highest civilian award after Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan. Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian award.

The Padma Awards are given to individuals by the government for their distinguished service in any field.

There will be a total of 139 recipients of the Padma Awards 2025. The list comprises seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri awards.

Padma Awards 2025 | Winners in Sports

  • PR Sreejesh (hockey) - Padma Bhushan
  • Ravichandran Ashwin (cricket) - Padma Shri
  • IM Vijayan (football) - Padma Shri
  • Harvinder Singh (para-archery) - Padma Shri
  • Satyapal Singh (athletics) - Padma Shri

PR Sreejesh (Hockey) | Padma Bhushan

Indian Sports Persons To Win Padma Awards: Full list of 273 names - Sportzpoint.com

India's great hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be awarded the Padma Bhushan, who played an important role in India winning the bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics

He becomes only the second hockey player to be conferred the Padma Bhushan after the legendary Major Dhyan Chand, who was honoured with the award in 1956.

Sreejesh also led India to a historic bronze medal in Tokyo 2020 and became the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year for three consecutive times.

Sreejesh's stellar career spanned 18 years, and he represented India in 336 international matches.

He is currently serving as the coach of the Indian men’s junior hockey team. 

Ravichandran Ashwin (Cricket) | Padma Shri

Indian Sports Persons To Win Padma Awards: Full list of 273 names - Sportzpoint.com

India's great spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be awarded the Padma Shri for scoring more than 3,000 runs in 106 Test matches with 537 wickets and 6 centuries.

Before announcing his retirement during the Australia tour in December 2024, Ashwin has been a part of many historic moments for Indian cricket, including the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy wins. 

He retired as India's second-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket last year.

His contribution led India to success in many important Test series.

IM Vijayan (Football) | Padma Shri

Indian Sports Persons To Win Padma Awards: Full list of 273 names - Sportzpoint.com

The great footballer of the 1990s IM Vijayan will also be honored with the Padma Shri Award. 

He was the biggest star of Indian football before Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri

Vijayan made his international debut in 1991 against Romania and remained the backbone of the Blue Tigers for 12 years.

Along with Bhaichung, IM Vijayan formed a deadly attacking duo. He hung up his boots in 2003.

Harvinder Singh (Para-archery) | Padma Shri

Indian Sports Persons To Win Padma Awards: Full list of 273 names - Sportzpoint.com

Archer Harvinder Singh, who achieved India’s first-ever Paralympic gold medal in the sport at Paris 2024, will be awarded the Padma Shri for his historic contribution. 

He was also the first archer from India to win a medal in Olympics or Paralympics at Tokyo 2020. 

For this brilliant achievement, he has been awarded the country's fourth highest civilian honour.

Harvinder contracted dengue when he was just over a year old and eventually lost the movement in his legs.

Satyapal Singh (Athletics) | Padma Shri

Former athlete and Dronacharya awardee Satyapal Singh has also been selected for Padma Shri.

Satyapal is one of India’s successful international coaches who works with national and international bodies. 

He is a former competition manager at the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and a coach of the Indian para-athletics team. 

He was also a mentor for Paris 2024 Paralympics gold-winning high-jumper Praveen Kumar.

Also Read: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024: Full Winners List

273 Padma Awards and 1 Bharat Ratna in Sports so far | Full List

Bharat Ratna

  • Shri Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Padma Vibhushan

  • Smt. Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom
  • Sir Edmund Hillary (Posthumous)
  • Shri Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
  • Shri Viswanathan Anand

Padma Bhushan

  • Shri Devendra Jhajharia
  • Kumari P. V. Sindhu
  • Ms. Bachendri Pal
  • Shri Pankaj Advani
  • Shri Mahendra Singh Dhoni
  • Ms. Saina Nehwal
  • Smt. Sania Mirza
  • Shri Satpal
  • Shri Leander Paes
  • Shri Pullela Gopichand
  • Shri Rahul Dravid
  • Smt. M. C. Mary Kom
  • Shri Abhinav Bindra
  • Dr. Vijaypat Singhania
  • Shri Chandrakant Gulabrao Borde
  • Shri Viswanathan Anand
  • Prof. Dinkar Balwant Deodhar
  • Shri Kapil Dev Nikhanj
  • Shri Lala Amarnath
  • Shri Michael Joseph Ferreira
  • Raja Bhalendra Singh
  • Shri Sunil Manohar Gavaskar
  • Shri Vinoo Mankad
  • Shri Mihir Kumar Sen
  • Shri Ramanathan Krishnan
  • Lt. Cmdr. Mohan Singh Kohli
  • Shri Nawang Gombu
  • Shri Sonam Gyatso
  • Shri Tenzing Norkay
  • Maharajkumar Vijaya Ananda
  • Rao Raja Hanunt Singh
  • Shri Cottari Kanakaiyah Nayudu
  • Shri Dhyan Chand

Padma Shri

  • Shri Rohan Bopanna
  • Ms. Joshna Chinappa
  • Shri Uday Vishwanath Deshpande
  • Shri Gaurav Khanna
  • Shri Satendra Singh Lohiya
  • Smt. Purnima Mahato
  • Shri Harbinder Singh
  • Shri S R D Prasad
  • Shri Gurcharan Singh
  • Shri Sumit Antil
  • Shri Pramod Bhagat
  • Shri Neeraj Chopra
  • Shri Sankara Narayana Menon Chundayil
  • Shri Fasil Ali Dar
  • Ms. Vandana Kataria
  • Ms. Avani Lekhara
  • Shri Brahmanand Sagun Kamat Shankhwalkar
  • Smt. P. Anitha
  • Smt. Mouma Das
  • Dr. Anshu Jamsenpa
  • Shri O. M. Nambiar (Posthumous)
  • Ms. Sudha Singh
  • Shri Virender Singh
  • Shri K Y Venkatesh
  • Shri Zaheerkhan Bakhtiyarkhan Khan
  • Ms. Oinam Bembem Devi
  • Shri M. P. Ganesh
  • Shri Jitu Rai
  • Shri Tarundeep Rai
  • Ms. Rani
  • Shri Sunil Chhetri
  • Smt. Harika Dronavalli
  • Shri Gautam Gambhir
  • Shri Sharath Kamal Achanta
  • Smt. L. Bombayla Devi
  • Shri Bajrang Punia
  • Ms. Prashanti Singh
  • Shri Ajay Thakur
  • Ms. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu
  • Shri Somdev Kishore Devvarman
  • Shri Murlikant Rajaram Petkar
  • Shri Kidambi Srikanth
  • Shri Shekar Naik Lachma
  • Shri Virat Kohli
  • Shri Mariyappan T
  • Shri Shreejesh P R
  • Shri Vikas Shive Gowda
  • Ms. Deepa Malik
  • Ms. Dipa Karmakar
  • Ms. Sakshi Malik
  • Ms. Deepika Kumari
  • Shri Sushil Doshi
  • Ms. Arunima Sinha
  • Ms. Mithali Raj
  • Ms. P.V. Sindhu
  • Shri Sardar Singh
  • Smt. Saba Anjum
  • Dr. Sunil Dabas
  • Ms Anjum Chopra
  • Ms Dipika Rebecca Pallikal
  • Shri H. Boniface Prabhu
  • Shri Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu
  • Shri Yuvraj Singh
  • Smt. Mamta Sodha
  • Shri Bajrang Lal Takhar
  • Shri H. N. Girisha
  • Shri Ngangom Dingko Singh
  • Shri Yogeshwar Dutt
  • Smt. Premlata Agrawal
  • Vijay Kumar
  • Ms. Jhulan Goswami
  • Prof. Ravi Chaturvedi
  • Shri Ajeet Bajaj
  • Shri Devendra Jhajhria
  • Shri Limba Ram Ahari
  • Shri Prabhakar Ambadaspant Vaidya
  • Shri S. M. Arif
  • Shri Zafar Iqbal
  • Ms. N. Kunjarani Devi
  • Ms. Shital Kamalakar Mahajan
  • Shri Gagan Narang
  • Shri Harbhajan Singh
  • Shri Sushil Kumar
  • Shri V. V. S. Laxman
  • Smt. Krishna Poonia
  • Ms. Saina Nehwal
  • Shri Ignace Tirkey
  • Shri Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan
  • Shri Ramakant Vithal Achrekar
  • Shri Vijender Singh
  • Shri Virender Sehwag
  • Shri Balbir Singh Kullar
  • Shri Harbhajan Singh Plaha
  • Shri Mahendra Singh Dhoni
  • Shri Pankaj Advani
  • Shri Bhaichung Bhutia
  • Smt. Bula Chowdhury Chakraborty
  • Kumari Koneru Humpy
  • Shri Chiranjeev Milkha Singh
  • Miss Sania Mirza
  • Shri Bahadur Singh Sagoo
  • Shri Mohan Singh Gunjyal
  • Smt. Madhumita Bisht
  • Smt. Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom
  • Lt. Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
  • Ms. Rachel Thomas
  • Shri Anil Kumble
  • Shri Gurbachan Singh Randhawa
  • Shri Pullela Gopi Chand
  • Ms. K. M. Beenamol
  • Shri Dilip Kumar Tirkey
  • Shri Rahul Dravid
  • Shri Sourav Ganguly
  • Smt. Anju Bobby George
  • Smt. Gurumayum Anita Devi
  • Yogacharya Sadashiv Prahlad Nimbalkar
  • Ms. Jyotirmoyee Sikdar
  • Shri Gopal Purushottam Phadke
  • Shri Kanhaya Lal Pokhriyal
  • Shri Nandanoori Mukesh Kumar
  • Shri Srinivas Venkataraghavan
  • Ms. Diana Fram Edulji
  • Shri Jaspal Rana
  • Ms. Bhuvneshwari Kumari
  • Ms. Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla
  • Ms. Sunita Rani
  • Shri Dhanraj Pillay
  • Shri Leander Adrian Paes
  • Shri Mahesh Bhupathi
  • Smt. Santosh Yadav
  • Shri Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
  • Smt. Karnam Malleshwari
  • Hon. Capt. Lila Ram
  • Shri Pargat Singh Powar
  • Shri Ramesh Krishnan
  • Smt. Shiny Wilson
  • Hony Capt. Shriram Singh (Retd.)
  • Shri Ajit Pal Singh
  • Shri Aspy Darabshaw Adajania
  • Shri Hukam Singh
  • Kum. Selma Juliet Christina D' Silva
  • Shri Sonam Paljor
  • Smt. Ujwala Patil
  • Kum. Chandra Prabha Aitwal
  • Shri Gulshan Rai
  • Shri Jaman Lal Sharma
  • Shri Pradip Kumar Banerjee
  • Shri Prem Chand Dogra
  • Shri Taranath Narayan Shenoy
  • Shri Mohammed Azharuddin
  • Shri Viswanathan Anand
  • Miss Bhagyashree Vasantrao Sathe
  • Shri Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar
  • Shri Kartar Singh
  • Kumari Anupama Gajanan Abhyankar
  • Shri Geet Siriram Sethi
  • Shri Mohammed Shahid
  • Shri Swarup Krishan Reu
  • Col. Darshan Kumar Khullar
  • Miss Bachendri Pal
  • Shri Phu Dorjee
  • Miss Pilavullakandy Thekkeyparambil Usha
  • Shri Om B. Agrawal
  • Shri Charles Borromeo
  • Shri Chuni Goswami
  • Dafadar Raghubir Singh
  • Guru Lairenmayum Damu Singh
  • Miss Geeta Zutshi
  • Miss Manathoor Devasia Valsamma
  • Shri Bahadur Singh
  • Shri Chand Ram
  • Shri Guru Hanuman
  • Shri Kaur Singh
  • Shri Sat Pal Singh
  • Shri Vijay Prakash Amritraj
  • Smt. Eliza Nelson
  • Shri Kapil Dev Nikhanj
  • Shri Prakash Ramesh Padukone
  • Shri Syed M.H. Kirmani
  • Shri Vasudevan Baskaran
  • Kum. Meena Shah
  • Shri Harikant Dang
  • Shri Roshan Lal Anand
  • Shri Pankaj Lal Roy
  • Lt. Comdr. Joginder Singh
  • Shri Farookh M. Engineer
  • Major Harsh Vardhan Bahuguna (Posthumous)
  • Shri Ajit Laxman Wadekar
  • Shri Bhagavath Subramanya Chandrasekhar
  • Kum. Kamaljit Sandhu
  • Shri Chandgi Ram
  • Shri Ghaus Mohamed
  • Shri Gundappa Ranganath Viswanath
  • Shri Leslie Claudius
  • Shri Sailendra Nath Manna
  • Shri Bishen Singh Bedi
  • Shri Erapally Anantharao Srinivasa Prasanna
  • Shri Syed Mohd. Moinul Haq
  • Shri Chandrakant Gulabrao Borde
  • Nawab Mohd. Mansur Ali Khan
  • Shri Gurdial Singh
  • Shri Prithipal Singh
  • Shri Shankar Laxman
  • Shri Kishan Lal
  • Capt. Avtar Singh Vohra Cheema
  • Capt. Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia
  • Major Narendra Kumar
  • Prof. Dinkar Balwant Deodhar
  • Shri Ang Kami
  • Shri Chandra Prakash Vohra
  • Shri Harish Chander Singh Rawat
  • Shri Phu Dorji
  • Shri Sonam Wangyal
  • Shri Wilson Jones
  • Shri Charanjit Singh
  • Shri Morapakam Josiam Gopalan
  • Shri Nawang Gombu
  • Shri Mushtaq Ali
  • Shri Gostha Behari Paul
  • Shri Nari J. Contractor
  • Shri P.R. Umrigar
  • Shri Ramanathan Krishnan
  • Shri Sonam Gyatso
  • Brig. Gyan Singh
  • Kum. Arati Saha
  • Shri Jasu Patel
  • Shri Vijay Hazare
  • Jemadar Milkha Singh
  • Shri Mihir Sen
  • Kanwar Digvijai Singh
  • Shri Balbir Singh
Next Article

Sultan of Johor Cup 2024: PR Sreejesh-led Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team wins opener against Japan

The team took inspiration from the former ace goalkeeper and its respected coach PR Sreejesh. This is the first stint as a coach for two-time Olympic medalist Sreejesh. He bid farewell to the sport as a player after the Paris Olympics 2024 in August.

Oct 19, 2024, 10:54 AM3 min read

Sultan of Johor Cup 2024: PR Sreejesh-led Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team wins opener against Japan

Indian Junior Men's Hockey team has defeated Japan 4-2 in the opening match of the 12th Sultan of Johor Cup 2024 here on Saturday.

The win was welcomed with a big smile by PR Sreejesh

The team took inspiration from the former ace goalkeeper and its respected coach PR Sreejesh. This is the first stint as a coach for two-time Olympic medalist Sreejesh. He bid farewell to the sport as a player after the Paris Olympics 2024 in August.

Also Read: Amir Ali: A Journey From "tin briefcase" to Hockey Glory

It was a high-octane match

Goals were scored by Amir Ali (12’), Gurjot Singh (36’), Anand Sourabh Kushwaha (44’) and Ankit Pal (47’) in India’s win while Tsubasa Tanaka (26’) and Rakusei Yamanaka (57’) scored for Japan. It was a high-octane match right from the start with India Colts playing attacking hockey, looking for scoring opportunities early in the game. 

India punctured the Japanese defense when Amir Ali scored a fine field goal in the 12th minute of the match. Japan bounced back from this early setback when Tsubasa Tanaka scored in the 26th minute to equalize. 

This equalizer didn’t dent India’s spirit as it stopped Japan from taking a 2-1 lead when Neo Sato and Yuto Higuchi worked in tandem to set up a fine shot on goal, thanks to India goalie Ali Khan who was impressive in the goalpost to make a fine save. 

Six minutes after the half-time break, India regained the lead when Gurjot Singh, who had made his senior international debut at the Asian Champions Trophy last month, scored a fine field goal. He was brilliantly assisted by Mohd Konain Dad to set up this goal and put India in good momentum.

Only minutes later, Dilraj Singh tactfully helped India earn a crucial PC which helped extend the lead to a strong 3-1 in the 44th minute. Anand Sourabh Kushwaha was on-target as his explosive drag-flick flew past Japan’s goalie Kisho Kuroda. 

Also Read: Hockey India League back after 7 years: All you need to know about it

Ankit Pal scored team's 5th goal

India’s goal-fest continued into the final quarter with Ankit Pal scoring the team’s fourth goal in the 47th minute. He picked up a rebound from a PC to put the ball past Japan’s keeper. This put India in formidable position. 

Though Japan converted a goal in the 57th minute through Rakusei Yamanaka, India stayed ahead 4-2. There were some nervy moments as the match inched towards the final hooter with Indian attackers upping the ante, hunting for a fifth goal. But Japan’s goalie Koki Origasa did well to keep the goal at bay as India ended the play with a fine 4-2 win. 

India won 3-1 over Japan in their last match in the Junior Asia Cup in May 2023 and also defeated this team 5-1 in the 2022 Sultan of Johor Cup. 

Next Article

Amir Ali: A Journey From "tin briefcase" to Hockey Glory

Amir Ali, a 20-year-old hockey prodigy from Uttar Pradesh, went from helping his father in a garage to being sold for ₹34 lakhs in the Hockey India League.

Oct 17, 2024, 8:35 AM5 min read

Amir Ali: A Journey From "tin briefcase" to Hockey Glory

The Indian Premier League is a high-profile, cash-rich league that not only opened doors for the national limelight but has provided financial stability to many undiscovered talents. Players getting selected and jumping out of their comforting sofas out of joy is a very usual scene each and every time the hammer hits after a high bid.

This league has religiously followed its slogan, "Yatra Pratibha Avsara Prapnotihi,” which translates to “Where talent meets opportunity.” Talents like Rinku Singh, T. Natarajan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Chetan Sakaria, etc. had received ample financial gain due to IPL participation.

However, there will be another name on the list of rejuvination: Amir Ali. Yes, of course, he is none from cricket but from another sport from India, Hockey, that once used to be popular. The 20-year-old young prodigy Amir, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, the state of Lalit Upadhyay, got his name in the Team Gonasika for a whopping 34 lakhs in the Hockey India League (HIL).

Who is Amir Ali?

When did Amir start his hockey journey? Idealy, it is at the age of 10, when a senior coach, Rashid Aziz Khan, noticed him at the KD Singh Babu Stadium. Khan used to mentor and groom the local young talents. Eventually, Ali resided in the same locality and got spotted. 

Amil Ali, however, has another identity—a helper to his father, Tasawar Ali, in his garage. Senior Ali is a motorcycle mechanic, having a small "tin briefcase" in the name of a garage "outside the main gate of the Jal Nigam office.

Recently, he has been named as the captain for the 18-member Indian junior team in the 12th edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup. The team coached by PR Sreejesh will tour Malaysia as the tournament will start on October 19.

India will begin their campaign against Japan on Oct 19, followed by matches against Great Britain (October 20), host Malaysia (October 22), Australia (October 23), and New Zealand (October 25). The top 2 teams will fight for the title on October 26th. 

Not only that, he is a promising face and is present regularly in the senior camp as a face in the team rebuilding plan.

The father-son partnership; the understanding between "hunar" and passion.

Amir Ali, the eldest of five sibling, had to join his father's business. May be it was a career option to him, or out of responsibility as a son, he stood by his father, believing it was "not one man's job."

Like the engines, his schedule was heavy too. He juggled between three roles a day—a student in the morning, a mechanic in the afternoon, and a hockey player in the evening. 

Like his hockey training started in 10, he started servicing bikes when he was just 12 years old. His father strongly believes, ‘yeh hunar hona chahiye.' The brothers must possess the skill, and they do so as all of them worked in the garage, as Amir does whenever he is at home. 

However, Tasawar never forced Amir to simply stick with education and garage. Rather, he arranged money for Amir's training. There were times when senior Ali borrowed money to meet Amir's sporting needs, while Amir skipped training to help his father in the garage.

But then he got selected in Saifai's Major Dhyan Chand Sports College. This not only facilitated his training but also eased the burden of his father in terms of providing hockey supplies.

Once a fan, now a colleague to Manpreet Singh

Manpreet Singh-sportzpoint.com

Thanks to Amir Ali for letting the fans know that craze has no limitations when it comes to sport. Yes, cricket dominating the Indian periphery is an undisputed truth, but there are lads like Amir Ali who won't think twice before 12 killometers, at the age of 10, just to watch Manpreet Singh playing for Ranchi!

The young Manpreet Singh was a part of the Ranchi Rhinos in the first phase of the Hockey India League. Amir looked upon him like an idol and never missed any HIL match where Manpreet played.

The former captain and two-time Olympic bronze medallist Manpreet, however, is now a teammate to the young Amir Ali. The Visakhapatnam franchise had stolen Manpreet for Rs 42 lakh, with Amir at 34 lakhs next to him.

The Ray of Hope

Leagues are often criticized as an open platform of commercialization. And there is no point of denying the fact. But what's wrong if commercialization lets art get exposed?

There are thousands and lakhs of Amir Ali's who have restricted themselves within the garage. A heavy pay check will encourage many young talents to take up this sport as a means of profession. Even if they do not break out into the national team, the bench won't stay empty.

League will provide them with the required limelight needed for being the talk of the town, as seen in cricket and other sports. Unlimited competition will come into the scene, hoping talents like Amir Ali can cope with it.

Restraining IPL-like criticisms

At certain point, things look exaggerating when people will bring huge and heavy names like Dhyan Chand or his son Ashok Kumar; KD Singh Babu or Mohammad Shahid; Zafar Iqbal or RP Singh behind young Amir's name.

Critiques will try to put him in their shoes, ignoring his beautifully crafted cut with the stick while beating the opposition's press. They will set aside his tacking skills but will remind him about Lalit and other names his state gifted to the Indian Hockey.

That's what critics do—forcefully trying to fit a Rishabh Pant in M.S. Dhoni's shoes, not letting him be himself, and definitely crashing the self-confidence!

Or bringing back flashbacks of his family struggles—how a basic smartphone was beyond his prescribed luxary—similar to how every time someone drags Jaiswal's struggles every time he smashes a good fifty or a century!

Let Amir's talents prevail. Let his stick do the talking, not his upbringing or the whatever legacy his state holds.  

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Hockey India League back after 7 years: All you need to know about it

After 7 years, the Hockey India League is making a comeback with a revamped format, with better planning and strong finance, and a dedicated women’s edition.

Oct 5, 2024, 11:10 AM6 min read

Hockey India League back after 7 years

The two-month span from March onwards is a festival beyond the yearly almanac. The Indian Premier League blocks all the mundane schedules for seasonal cricket fans. The grandeur it has and the craze and hype it injects into the audience are unmatched. The cash-rich league managed to get a brother in 2013, in Indian Hockey—The Hockey Indian League (HIL). Their motto was the same: popularizing the sport in the country.

The long-run execution fell short of finance and ceased in 2017. After seven long years, HIL is set to make a comeback. On Friday, October 4, Hockey India will inaugurate their HIL 2.0, having Women's Hockey their first HIL!

Hockey India League 2.0

It is a resurgence, rather than a revamp of the previous edition of the Hockey Premier League, with better planning and steady finance.

The IPL started after the 2007 T-20 World Cup win. This version of HIL is nothing but a by-product of two back-to-back Olympic bronzes and a gold in the Asian GamesHI has announced that the HIL will start with initially 8 teams in the men's and 6 in the women's edition.

A total of 10 franchise owners have come on board.

For the men's event, franchises that came forward are:

  • Chennai- Charles Group, 
  • Lucknow- Yadu Sports, 
  • Punjab- JSW Sports, 
  • West Bengal- Shrachi Sports, 
  • Delhi- SG Sports and Entertainment (team name: Delhi SG Pipers)
  • Odisha- Vedanta Limited (team name: Kalinga Lancers)
  • Hyderabad- Resolute Sports (team name: Hyderabad Toofans)
  • Ranchi- Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited.

The women team owners are:

  • Haryana-JSW Sports (team name: Delhi SG Pipers)
  • West Bengal- Shrachi Sports,
  • Delhi- SG Sports and Entertainment and 
  • Odisha-  Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited.

Each franchise will build a 24-player (men and women each) squad. Each team will have a mix of 16 Indian players, a mandatory inclusion of four junior players, and a maximum of eight international players.

To make the pre-tournament phases more scintillating, the auction procedure has been added to it. Three categories have been induced according to the ranks of each player: Rs 2 lakh (for juniors), Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 10 lakh.

The auction will take place between Oct 13 and 15.

However, the tournament will be restricted to venues only. Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand, and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha. Ranchi will host all the women's matches while the men's matches will take place in Rourkela.

venues and franchises-sportzpoint.com
Photo credit: TOI

The main reason behind limiting it to two stadiums is finance and the craze. 

Finance

According to the Times of India, a huge sum of Rs 3,640 crore will be invested for Hockey Indian League purposes for the coming 10 years. HI  will chip in some 112 crore each year, mainly on HL's title sponsor and media rights.

A few sources informed that HI has promised to contribute a total of Rs. 1,120 crore for the coming ten years for the swift perpetration of the revamp.

The franchises will lay out around Rs 18 crores on each of the total 14 teams (men and women), each year, which translates into Rs 252 crore for 14 teams.

Thus, for 10 years, franchises will be shelling out Rs 2,520 crore largely on players and coaching support staff’s salaries. The expenditure also includes grants for grassroot development of the sport through their hockey academies.

Thus, considering HI’s contribution of Rs 1,120 crore and franchises’ spending of Rs 2,520 crore, HIL will boast of a total investment purse of Rs 3,640 crore.

Earlier, HO: wasn't limited to just two venues. But HI president Dilip Tirkey clarified that it has been done to reduce the travel and reservation cost of home and away matches. Additionally, the venues have been chosen keeping in mind the popularity of hockey in that place.

The inaugural women's event

From 2013 to 2017, the women's version of the Hockey Premier League wasn't available. For the first time, female hockey players in India will have a dedicated platform to showcase their skills on a large scale. 

The women's team has been an absolute spectacle in the Tokyo Olympics. Savita Punia was no short in fame when compared to PR Sreejesh in terms of skill. The windy Vandana Kataria, hopefully, won't be a name to those fans, but in all households.

It's not about promoting gender equality in a sport when a section of it is yet to rise its head in India. It's more about breaking taboos about women wearing skirts, like what Rani Rampal faced in her childhood. It is more about providing a well-structured hockey stick to the budding players instead of a mere bamboo stick!

Drawbacks that got corrected

The 2013–2017 version of the Hockey Indian League had its financial drawbacks. But other than that, it had clashes of schedule,

A league that could have been as big as a festival, to the fans, couldn't manage to get an uninterrupted vacant place in the FIH calendar. The Hockey Pro League came into being, which ate up whatever space was remaining.

However, this year, President Tirkey and Secretary Bhola Nath Singh have assured that such disruptions won't happen from now on. Both have revealed that the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has granted the window from December 28 to February 5 for the next 10 years.

HIL winners till 2017

2013- Ranchi Rhinos

2014- Delhi Waveriders

2015- Ranchi Rays

2016- Punjab Warriors

2017: Kalinga Lancers

Game recognizes Game

Sreejesh named Director of Hockey in Delhi franchise for upcoming HIL- PTI-sportzpoint.com
Sreejesh named Director of Hockey in Delhi franchise for upcoming HIL-PTI

Athletes investing in franchises is not new. So does hockey. Mahesh Bhupathi, the Indian tennis legend, has invested in the Delhi SG Pipers franchise

Adding further excitement, former Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who was freshly appointed as the coach for the junior hockey team, is now the mentor for the Delhi franchise. 

Hockey Indian League: Opening new doors to talent

Say, for example, the Indian Premier League! It is a cash-rich league because of the unwavering fan support, definitely due to the monetization of the league. 

But it has more efficacy due to its role in nurturing young talents. HIL is nothing short of that. The international players will not be just teammates but leaders and seniors whom the rookies will look up to.

This will increase the pace of the game, adding more skills and perfection to the drags and flicks. 

An Indian fan probably won't be expecting some foul on the body to get a penalty corner so that some Amit Rohidas or Harmanpreet Singh convert it into a goal. A basic wish to see a ball in play before hitting the net, just as Australians do, will be fulfilled hopefully.

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