BJD chief and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik with members of the Paris Olympics 2024’s bronze medalist Indian national men’s hockey team during a meeting.
Credit: PTI Photo
Bhubaneswar: Former chief minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik on Thursday felicitated the members of the Indian hockey players who won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games held in Paris recently.
Patnaik, also the BJD president, gifted shawls and silver filigree works depicting the Konark wheel to the players, while the team members presented him with a jersey, which had their signatures on it.
“Many congratulations from my side to you all. I hope next time you will bring gold,” Patnaik, currently the Leader of Opposition (LoP), said while speaking to the players.
Los Angeles will host the next summer Olympic Games in 2028.
Accompanied by Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, the team members met the former chief minister at his residence, Naveen Niwas, in Bhubaneswar.
Responding to the congratulations, the players said that the Indian hockey team will always be grateful to Odisha and the people of Odisha for their cooperation and support.
They also expressed their gratitude to Odisha and its former chief minister Naveen Patnaik for their overall support of the game.
When there was no sponsor for hockey, the then chief minister Naveen Patnaik took a historic decision and the Odisha government took over the sponsorship of the Indian hockey team.
They also thanked Patnaik and expressed that Indian hockey has regained its glory due to Odisha's support.
Patnaik’s government has been a key promoter of Indian hockey and has been sponsoring the national men’s and women’s teams since 2018.