Indian Olympic hockey star PR Sreejesh on Tuesday heaped praises on PM Modi for renaming the prestigious Khel Ratna award after Hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
“It is a big honour for us and for the sport of hockey to have the Khel Ratna named after one of the hockey legends Major Dhyan Chand,” PR Sreejesh said in a video that has gone viral on the internet.
EXCLUSIVE: Olympic bronze medallist @16Sreejesh talks about his interaction with PM @narendramodi; adds move to rename India’s top sporting award to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna an honour for the sport of hockey. pic.twitter.com/5nAT7Z47OV
— Asianet Newsable (@AsianetNewsEN) August 17, 2021
The Olympian bronze medallist also spoke about the team’s interaction with PM Modi after returning from the Tokyo Olympics. Sreejesh said PM Modi put all of them at ease and struck a frank conversation with the players.
“We got an opportunity to speak to the country’s Prime Minister. But sir never made us feel that we were talking to a prime minister. He interacted with us in an open and friendly manner. He took us into our comfort zone…Sir (PM Modi) wished our coach for the victory and told us all that the entire country is celebrating our triumph at the Olympics. He also said that no matter how many laurels Indian athletes bring, but when the hockey team wins a medal, it is a special occasion for all the Indians,” Sreejesh said.
Indian hockey team creates history by clinching a bronze medal at Tokyo Olympics
The Indian Men’s Hockey Team created history at the Tokyo Olympics after it won the bronze medal in the Hockey event after registering a thrilling victory over Germany in the Bronze medal play-off. The Indian team defeated Germany 5-4, securing their first Olympics medal in 41 years. The Indian Hockey team had won the last Olympic medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Indian has won as many as eight gold medals in hockey events in the Olympics, besides a silver medal and three bronze medals. This was India’s 12th medal in the category, the latest being the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award rechristened as Major Dhyan Chand award
On August 6, a day after the Indian Hockey team won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that henceforth, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award shall be known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The Prime Minister said that he had received requests from people across the country to name the award after the Indian Hockey legend. Therefore, respecting their wishes, the name has been altered accordingly.
