Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday congratulated the India men's hockey team after the boys won a bronze medal at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. The Odisha CM spoke to the players over the telephone after the historic win.
It took 41 years, but the dream of every Indian was finally realised on Thursday as the men's hockey team beat Germany 5-4 to win the bronze medal here at the Oi Hockey Stadium -- North Pitch.
The hockey teams' success could have been slightly difficult had there not been the uninterrupted support from the Government of Odisha. While they came on board as official sponsors three years back -- the only state to sponsor a national team -- their contribution can't be restricted to just talking about the sponsorship.
Hockey is seen as part of the culture in many parts of the state and the love the people of Odisha have for hockey is reflected in the strong commitment of Chief Minister Patnaik towards the development of the game.
The state in partnership with Hockey India has conducted all the major hockey tournaments in Bhubaneswar including the Men's World Cup, World League, Pro-League, Olympic qualifiers. With the backing of an entire state, it is there for everyone to see how the national team has performed consistently and even punched above their weight.
The Men in Blue showed absolute resilience, strength, and winning spirit to register a remarkable comeback win against a strong German team on Thursday.
( With inputs from ANI )
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