Bhubaneswar: Former Odisha Chief Minister and Leader of Oppositions (LoP) Naveen Patnaik today met the Indian Hockey Team and felicitated them for the historic Olympics bronze medal.
Patnaik met some of the players of the Indian Hockey stars like Sumit, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek and Sanjay at his residence Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar and had a small discussion with them.
Patnaik, who is also the president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), also felicitated each of them with the uttariya and gift of the famous Sun Temple Konark wheel and expressed his hope that the Indian team will be the top podium finisher in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The players also expressed their gratitude to Naveen Patnaik for supporting hockey when the sport needed it the most. Former captain and Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey was present on the occasion.
Later, Patnaik took to his X handle and shared some of the photos of his meeting with the hockey champions. “Immense pleasure meeting victorious #IndianHockey Team after winning coveted bronze medal in #ParisOlympics2024. Hockey is not just a sport; it is a way of life in #Odisha. We always share a special bond with this beautiful game. May the team continue its winning momentum and bring more glory for the nation and the state,” he captioned the post.
It is to be noted here that the former Odisha CM was a key promoter of Indian hockey and been sponsoring the national men’s and women’s teams since 2018.
Earlier yesterday, the Odisha government led by Chief Minister Mohan Majhi felicitated each player and support staff of the Indian Hockey team with cash awards for wining bronze medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympics.
