New Delhi: Hockey India on Friday congratulated the Indian men’s hockey team midfielder Manpreet Singh and goalkeeper of women’s team Savita for being conferred with the prestigious Arjuna award by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Expressing his views after winning the award, the midfielder stated that it is a great feeling and further credit his coaches, teammates, and family for getting the ward.
“It is a very proud moment for me personally and I owe this to my Coaches over the years, my teammates and my family for their constant support since the very beginning. It is a great feeling when you are recognized for all your hard work and this serves as a great motivation for me to keep striving for bigger feats and make the country proud,” Singh said.
“I also would like to congratulate all the other award winners too,” he added.
Savita, on the other hand, asserted that the award is a result of her patience and hard work. She further claimed that her team is preparing hard for the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“Patience and hard work always pay off. I am very thankful to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for recognizing my hard work and I would also like to thank Hockey India and my teammates who have been a pillar of support in my career,” Savita said.
“The Indian Women’s Team has done extremely well over the past two years and this award will only motivate me to work harder and achieve our team goals in this very crucial phase where we will be working on winning a Tokyo Olympics berth,” she added.
The governing body also extended their wishes to Clarence Lobo, who was awarded with Dronacharya Award (lifetime achievement) for his contribution to Indian hockey through coaching over the past 25 years, and former Indian captain and goalkeeper Bharat Kumar Chetri for being conferred with the Dhyan Chand award for lifetime achievement.
Chetri currently works closely with the Indian both men and women hockey teams as a goalkeeping Coach.
Congratulating the award winners, Secretary General of Hockey India Mohd. Mushtaque Ahmad, stated, “On behalf of Hockey India, I would like to congratulate Clarence Lobo for his outstanding contribution to Indian Hockey over the past 25 years. I also congratulate Manpreet Singh and Savita for being conferred with the Arjuna award.”
“We are always proud of our players and I wish this recognition spurs their performance further. Former India Captain and Goalkeeper Bharat Kumar Chetri has been very forthcoming whenever the sport has needed him to guide youngsters and work with budding goalkeepers closely,” he continued.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]