Odisha rewards India’s Asian Games Hockey champions with ₹5.61 Crore

The Odisha government on Friday, honored India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams with cash awards totaling ₹5.61 crore after both squads won gold at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. Both victories also secured the teams a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

At a ceremony at Kalinga Stadium, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi felicitated the players and announced an award of ₹11 lakh for each player and ₹5.5 lakh for each member of the support staff.

For Odisha, which has invested heavily in the sport for years, the twin golds felt like a reward for that faith.

The triumph marked a first for Indian hockey. Never before had the men’s and women’s teams both won gold at the same Asian Games. The success in Japan put to rest the disappointment of Wavre and Amstelveen. Coming after a forgettable World Cup campaign, the twin gold medals have breathed new life into the sport.

The men’s team edged past its archrival, Pakistan, 4-3 in a memorable semifinal, then overwhelmed Malaysia 5-1 in the final to claim its fifth Asian Games gold. By successfully defending its crown, it became the first Indian men’s side to retain the title.

The women’s team, meanwhile, beat the defending champion, China, 1-0, ending a 44-year wait for the title. Its last gold had come in 1982, in New Delhi. Both victories earned the teams direct qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics.

The achievement is a much-needed boost for a sport that continues to face multiple challenges in the country.

The reception in the state capital carried special significance, given Odisha’s long relationship with hockey and its continuous involvement in developing the game. The state has produced several of the sport’s legends, and in recent years hockey has become nearly synonymous with Odisha.

Two of its own were part of the men’s team that won in Nagoya: the prolific forward Shilanand Lakra and the defensive stalwart Amit Rohidas. They follow a long line of Odisha players who have worn the Indian jersey, including Dilip Tirkey, now president of Hockey India, and Birendra Lakra.

In the women’s team, midfielder Sunelita Toppo was the sole player from Odisha. She follows in the footsteps of Sunita Lakra, Namita Toppo and the veteran defender and former captain Deep Grace Ekka.

Odisha’s bond with hockey runs deeper than the national team or the Hockey India League. Sundargarh district in western Odisha, around Rourkela and Saunamara, is the hub that supplies much of the country’s talent. There, hockey is not merely a sport but a part of local identity, and a pathway to sporting excellence and an international career.

Although hockey has a long history in Sundargarh, institutions such as the State Sports Hostel in Panposh and the SAIL Hockey Academy in Rourkela have helped the sport grow. They have provided structure, investment and coaching facilities to sharpen the skills of aspiring players.

Saunamara, often called the “Cradle of Indian Hockey,” has alone produced more than 60 national-team players across the men’s and women’s sides. The most famous is Tirkey, a former India captain, who became Odisha’s first Olympian at the 1996 Games. He went on to play in three Olympics and also won domestic titles in hockey leagues.

That long association and steady support bore fruit in 2018, when Kalinga Stadium hosted the World Cup for the first time. The state was granted hosting rights again in 2023, this time alongside Rourkela’s Birsa Munda Stadium, a testament to Odisha’s successful relationship with the sport.

The icing on the cake came earlier this year, when the Bhubaneswar-based Kalinga Lancers won the Hockey India League title. It was their second, after 2017, and their first in front of a home crowd. The Lancers followed in the footsteps of the Orissa Steelers of the now-defunct Premier Hockey League, and their win has only strengthened the case for Indian hockey.