India defeated host Japan 5-3 in their final preliminary match in men's hockey Group A to finish their proceedings in second place behind world No. 1 Australia in the Tokyo Olympics on Friday.
This is India's best performance in the league phase after 41 years as they had last finished second in the group in the 1980 Moscow Olympics when they won their eighth and last gold medal so far.
With this win, team India has paved way for victory in Tokyo Olympics 2020. Now, the Indian Hockey Team (Men) led by captain Manpreet Singh qualified for the quarter-finals, scheduled for August 1 (Sunday) against Great Britain.
After witnessing the stupendous performance of the team, Punjab Hockey President Mr. Nitin Kohli dialed the team to congratulate them for making it to the quarterfinals. He has even extended his best wishes to the team to secure ‘gold’ in Tokyo Olympics 2020 to make the nation proud.
Also Read:2020 Tokyo Olympics Pool A: Indian hockey team makes another win, defeats japan
It is to be reiterated here, 11 players in the team hail from Punjab, and their dedication, efforts, passion for the game have made them become part of a grand sports event. Their selection in the Indian team has brought a fruitful result for the Punjab Hockey Association, which leaves no stone unturned to identify the sportsmanship in a player.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Sports Minister Rana Gurmeet Sodhi announced that hockey players from the state representing India at the Tokyo Olympics would get Rs 2.25 crore each if the team wins the gold medal.
Notably, earlier an amount of Rs 2.25 crore was announced for the entire team on winning gold at the Olympics