Ashok Kumar honoured with Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award

Winning goal scorer of the 1975 Indian World Cup Gold medal team and Arjuna Awardee Ashok Kumar won the prestigious Hockey India  Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award, during the highly-anticipated Hockey India (HI) 6th Annual Awards 2023 took place in New Delhi on Sunday where the National Federation celebrated India's best hockey stars, officials and legends of the sport .

On an unforgettable afternoon, which saw the presence of some of the biggest names and distribution of a total prize pool amounting to Rs 7.56 Crores in various categories, Olympians Hardik Singh and Salima Tete on the other hand were honoured with the HI Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year 2023 awards in Men’s and Women’s categories, respectively.

On the occasion Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh, who welcomed the respected guests, dignitaries and the hockey stars said, “Happy to celebrate with everyone who has been responsible for helping our beloved sport in its tremendous growth over the past year. I offer my congratulations to all the players, officials, and support staff for their unparalleled strength, fierce determination and relentless pursuit of excellence. Also would like to congratulate all the nominees and the winners for their invaluable contribution, and also thank our beloved legends of the sport for their presence, and for being a source of inspiration for all of us, as we move further into another important year for the sport of hockey”.  He also retaliated to Hockey India’s commitment to launch its League for both teams (eight Men's teams and six Women's teams) latest by next January.

 An emotional Ashok Kumar, 73, who was part of the 1972 Munich Olympics Bronze-medal winning Indian team and known for his exceptional skills and ball control stated that the award named after his father Major Dhyan Chand was the biggest surprise for him. “I started playing hockey because of my father and aspired to become a better player than him. In my pursuit I however always found myself short of the benchmark he set. Having said that I am however very happy for the recognition that Hockey India gave me today and hope this continues for the coming years,” said Ashok Kumar who was also part of the Indian Asian Games (1970, 1974 and 1978) three Silver medal winning team, on receiving the award .

On the other hand, the Indian Vice-captain and Midfielder who was a part of the Bronze medal-winning hockey team at the Tokyo 2023 Olympics and won the Asian Games 2023 Gold medal last year said, "It is a matter of great pride for me to win the prestigious award. This is truly reflective of the hard work and the commitment that our team displayed over the past year. I am thankful to each and everyone for their support and I will continue to work even harder in the coming year to justify the honour."

Meanwhile, Olympian and Mid-fielder Salima Tete, who was part of the Women’s team that won the Bronze medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, said, "I wish to thank my teammates, coaches and the support staff for showcasing their faith in me. It is a matter of great pride for me every time I get to wear the Indian jersey and step out on the field to represent the nation. This award will further motivate me to continue to do even better each day so I can continue to make the country proud."

Earlier the ceremony started with the Milestone Awards 2023 with Vivek Sagar Prasad, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Udita, Salima Tete, and Gurjant Singh for completing 100 International Caps. Nikki Pradhan, Amit Rohidas, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, and Neha each for completing 150 International Caps.
Indian Women's Hockey Team defender Harmanpreet Singh was awarded for completing 200 International Caps, while Indian Women's Hockey Team goalkeeper Savita Punia for earning 250th International Cap. Indian Men's Hockey Team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was presented for earning his 300th International Cap along with  Vandana Katariya who became the first Indian Women's Hockey Team player to earn her 300th International Cap. The final milestone award was presented to Manpreet Singh for completing 350 International matches for India. All the above recipient’s were honoured with cash prizes in the range of Rs. 1 to 3.5 Lakhs and individual trophy.
In the second category of Individual Achievement Awards, Deepika, Mohith H S, Annu, Anjali Barwa, Maninder Singh, Deepika Soreng, Mandeep Singh, Salima Tete, Sangita Kumari, Harmanpreet Singh, too were honoured  for their spectacular individual performances in various tournaments with cash prize of Rs. 1 Lakh and trophy. Savita, who was awarded FIH Goalkeeper of the Year at the Star Awards 2023, and Hardik Singh, who was awarded FIH Player of the Year at the Star Awards 2023, too were honoured with a cash prize of Rs. 5 and 10 Lakhs respectively.
Meanwhile, the final category of HI Annual Award Categories for the year 2023 began with Hockey Haryana winning the award for Hockey India Best Member Unit of the Year Award 2023, earning a prize of Rs. 2.5 Lakh. Hockey India President Award for Umpire/Umpires Manager of the Year 2023 was presented to G Harsha Vardan, with a prize of Rs. 2.5 Lakhs. Hockey India President Award for Technical Official of the Year 2023 worth Rs. 2.5 Lakh was presented to Sonia Bathla. Hockey India President Award for Outstanding Achievement 2023 worth Rs. 5 Lakh was presented to SAIL Hockey Academy, Rourkela. Hockey India Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution 2023 was presented to Dr. Bibhu Kalyan Nayak, and he was presented with a cheque of Rs. 5 Lakh along with a trophy.

Hockey India (HI) 6th Annual Awards 2023 key winners:

HI Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year: PR Sreejesh (Rs. 5 Lakhs)

HI Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year: Harmanpreet Singh (Rs. 5 Lakhs)

HI Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year: Hardik Singh (Rs. 5 Lakhs)

HI Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year: Abhishek (Rs. 5 Lakhs)

HI Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women – U21): Deepika Soreng  (Rs. 10 Lakhs)

HI Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men – U21): Araijeet Singh Hundal (Rs. 10 Lakhs) 

HI Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Women): Salima Tete (Rs. 25. Lakhs) 

HI Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Men): Hardik Singh (Rs. 25. Lakhs)

HI Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award: Ashok Kumar (Rs. 30. Lakhs)