Odisha felicitates National Games medalists with cash awards

Bhubaneswar:  Sportspersons of Odisha were felicitated by the Sports and Youth Services Department today with special cash awards for their outstanding performances at the 36th National Games, which was recently held in Gujarat.

Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Chairman of Odisha Hockey Promotion Council Dilip Tirkey and Sports Secretary R Vineel Krishna presented the awards at a ceremony held at Kalinga Stadium here.

Two athletes of Odisha who represented Services namely Dinesh Kumar (3 Golds in Cycling) and Muna Nayak (1 Silver in Weightlifting) were also felicitated.

As committed by the State Government, winners of team and individual sports of 36th National Games 2022 received Rs 5 lakh for gold medal, Rs 3 lakh for Silver and Rs 2 lakh for Bronze medal.

Total cash award of Rs 3.16 crore was given out to at least 100 sportspersons.

Congratulating the medalists, Minister Behera said, “It gives me immense delight and pride to felicitate our young winners. Their hard work and dedication is paying off. They have given their best at the National Games and brought glory for the State. I am confident, from here on, each one of them will surge ahead in the field of sports. We will continue to support them in their journey throughout.”

The winners expressed their deepest gratitude to the Odisha Government for supporting them and acknowledging their achievements.

Tirkey interacted with the winners and encouraged them to stay focused on their game to achieve greater success in the coming years.

Odisha Women’s Rugby team, which won the Gold medal, was felicitated with Rs 60 lakhs as total team cash prize. Similarly, the Kho-Kho Women’s team was awarded Rs 45 lakh total cash prize for winning Silver.

Notably, maximum medals have been won by Kayaking, Canoeing and Rowing athletes.