The first-ever Hockey India (HI) Annual Awards will be held at a city hotel here on March 28, where the best players from the country will be felicitated for their contribution towards the game.
The annual awards, initiated by HI, is an effort towards recognising the hard work put in by the players, coaches, support staff and administrators on the field both nationally as well as internationally.
The awards ceremony will also witness HI felicitating the teams and individuals who made the country proud with their brilliant performances in the year gone by.
A total of Rs 2.6 crore will be presented to players, former players and coaches across all categories during the ceremony.
HI has also introduced the 'Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award' which carries a purse of Rs 30,00,000
Besides, the most outstanding player in both men and women's category will receive the Dhruv Batra Award for Player of the Year respectively, carrying a prize money of Rs 25,00,000 each.
The Jaman Lal Sharma Award for Invaluable Contribution (for coaches and support staff) and the Hockey India President Award for Outstanding Achievement, which carries a cash purse of Rs 5,00,000 each will also be given to exceptional awardees.
Besides, six awards have been named after players who have represented India in the past including, the Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men, Under-21), Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women, Under 21), Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year, Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year, Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year and Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year.
"We announced the Hockey India Annual Awards last year and this 28th March will witness the first awards ceremony in New Delhi. In recent times, HI has taken various steps towards uplifting the sport in the country and this is one such initiative to ensure that the players receive the recognition that they so rightly deserve," HI president Narinder Dhruv Batra said in a statement.
"Also what gives each one of us immense pleasure is the support that hockey is receiving from our various stakeholders which motivates us to take the game to the next level.
"We take the Hockey India Annual Awards as a platform to felicitate the teams for their performances in the last one year," he added.
