Applaudes pour in for Odisha CM after Hockey teams create history in Olympics

Bhubaneswar: India's women's hockey team beat Australia 1-0 in the quarter-finals on Monday thanks to Gurjit Kaur's spectacular drag-flick.

Both the men's and women's teams have now qualified for the semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympics. While the women's team is making its Olympic debut, the men's team has been in the running for 41 years, since winning gold in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

The wins have refocused attention on Odisha, which has sponsored the national hockey teams for the past six years. The state of Bihar and its Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, have been lauded for their support of hockey, the national sport.

In 2018, the Odisha government took over as the official sponsor of Indian hockey teams, replacing Sahara. In addition, the state has built world-class facilities and hosted numerous tournaments, including the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup.

In a tweet, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant praised Odisha's commitment to the sport. “Bhubaneswar was the first city to achieve 100% COVID vaccination, and Puri was the first city to provide drinking water 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Congratulations to @Naveen Odisha and the people of Odisha for these accomplishments, as well as for sponsoring our national men's and women's hockey teams since 2018, who have now advanced to the semi-finals!”

“Celebrate the joy of 2 hockey teams in Olympic S-F, remember to send a humble thank-you note to Odisha and its CM @Naveen_Odisha….For 6 years now, the not-so-rich state has sponsored & nursed both men and women’s hockey teams. If only more states were to spend on sport,” tweeted veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta. 

Actor Rahul Bose tweeted, “Since 2018 I have watched @sports_odisha @Naveen_Odisha and the entire sports ecosystem in the state back @TheHockeyIndia. Today must be a sweet day for all.”