Bhubaneswar, June 8: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday felicitated Indian men’s team members and coach for the spectacular victory in Thomas Cup 2022.
India won this coveted cup for the first time in the history of Thomas cup championship since it started in 1948-49. Apart from Hockey and Cricket, this is only third sporting event where India became world champion in a team event.
Chief National Coach Pullela Gopichand, Players Kidambi Srikanth, Dhruv Kapila, Pronoy HS, Priyanshu Rajawat, Vishnuvardhan Goud, GK Prasad, Arjun MR, Chirag Chandra Sekhar Shetty and Rakkireddy Satwik Sairaj were felicitated at a special function organised at the Convention centre in Lokseva Bhawan here.
The Chief Minister honored Gopichand with a shawl and memento. All the team players received Rs 10 lakh Cash Award each. The players also presented the Chief Minister a Team India Jersey autographed by all the players.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Patnaik said that India has now become a production centre for world champions in badminton.
In partnership with Gopichand, a state-of-the-art High performance facility will be launched in next few months. We are constructing 89 Multi-purpose indoor halls across the State.
We would also like to host the Odisha Open as an annual event and support more such international championships, he announced. He wished the team more success for future championships.
Chief National Coach Pullela Gopichand said, “Odisha is the only State that is promoting all sports persons across the country. Odisha is one of the pioneers in promotion of sports now.”
Sports & Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Secretary R Veenel Krishna, Higher Education Minister and President of Odisha Badminton Association Rohit Pujari, Chief Secretary Suresh Mohapatra, Development Commissioner PK Jena and OMC Chairman were present among others.
