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The Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 kicks off in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela on Friday, January 13, and ahead of the major event, Hockey India have announced cash incentives for the players and the support staff in a bid to motivate them ahead of the tournament.
"The National Governing Body for hockey will reward the members of the Indian team led by Harmanpreet Singh with INR 25 lakh each for a Gold Medal-winning feat at the prestigious quadrennial event while the members of the support staff will be honoured with INR 5 Lakhs each. India last stood on the World Cup podium in 1975 where they lifted the coveted title by beating Pakistan in the Final held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia," Hockey India wrote in their official statement.
"A Silver medal would see the players walk away with INR 15 Lakhs while the support staff would be awarded INR 3 Lakhs for their role in the campaign. And a Bronze Medal feat by Harmanpreet and Co will see them being awarded INR 10 Lakhs each, while the support staff would be entitled to a prize of INR 2 Lakhs," the release added.
The decision was taken during a virtual meeting of the Hockey India Executive Board on Saturday, December 24, for the competition that will see 16 of the top hockey nations battle for the ultimate trophy.
“Finishing on the podium at a Senior Men’s World Cup is not an easy task, and we hope this announcement will further increase the motivation levels of the already glory-hungry Indian Men’s Hockey Team. Winning a medal in a home World Cup would surely go down as one of the best memories for the players in their decorated careers. We wish them the very best for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela,” said Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey.
India have been grouped in Pool D, alongside England, Spain and Wales. Their only title in the competition came in 1975, before which, Team India won the Bronze Medal at the first edition in 1971 followed by a Silver Medal in 1973.
India squad:
Goalkeeper: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh.
Defender: Jarmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (Captain), Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas (Vice Captain), Nilam Sanjeep Xess
Midfielder: Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Akashdeep Singh
Forward: Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh.
