Tokyo 2020: Kerala government announces Rs 2 crore, job promotion for India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh

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Kochi, Aug 11: Kerala government on Wednesday (August 11) announced Rs 2 crore reward and promotion for Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh for playing a crucial role in his team's bronze medal win at the just concluded Tokyo Olympics.

Sreejesh acted as a wall for his team on several crunch moments and saved several goals as the Indian men's hockey team won its first Olympic medal after a gap of 41 years. The M Vijayan Government announced the award for the 33-year-old senior India custodian and also promoted him as the joint director in the Kerala Education Department.

The LDF government was facing a lot of flak from the opposition for not announcing any cash rewards and recognitions for the star hockey player.

Earlier on Tuesday, a grand reception was accorded to Sreejesh at the Cochin International Airport with hundreds of fans thronging the arrival area to welcome their hero. The welcome reception, organised by the Kerala government, was led by Sports Minister V Abdurahiman with the participation of State Sports Council President Mercy Kuttan, MLA PV Sreenijan, and District Collector Jafer Malik among others.

The family of Sreejesh, including his parents, PV Raveendran and Ushakumari, wife PK Aneeshya and children Anushree and Sreeansh were also present to welcome him home. In an emotional moment, Sreejesh put the medal around his father's neck.

Later, he was taken to his residence at Kizhakkambalam in an open jeep accompanied by the minister. After a small reception at his hometown, the Kizhakkambalam-born hockey player told the media that he was really happy was such a grand reception was accorded to him.

"This medal is an Onam gift to everyone," he said raising the medal. "Hockey is a good game and we will feel addicted to it. I hope more parents will send their children to play hockey and in the future I wish more players, better than me, win gold in the Olympics," he said.

When he was asked whether the state government had announced any reward for him, Sreejesh said as a sportsperson, he achieved his biggest dream which was to win a medal in Olympics. "As a sportsperson, as a hockey player, my biggest ambition was to win a medal in the Olympics and I got it. I am sure that the state government will recognise our victory and the medal," he added.

The Indian men's hockey team rewrote history as it claimed an Olympic medal after 41 years, defeating Germany 5-4 to win the bronze in an edge-of-the-seat play-off match of the ongoing Games in Tokyo. It was India's third hockey bronze medal in the history of the Olympics. The other two came in 1968 Mexico City and the 1972 Munich Games.

(With PTI inputs)