Watch: Indian hockey team presents PM Narendra Modi with signed stick in meet with Olympians

Aug. 15, 2024, 10:22 a.m.

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The Indian men’s hockey team presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a signed hockey stick on Thursday as a souvenir during a meet with India’s returning Paris Olympics athletes. India’s Olympians were invited for the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort in the national capital.

In a video, several members of the hockey team, including Jarmanpreet Singh, Rajkumar Pal, retired goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, and Hardik Singh, can be seen signing the white stick with a black marker.

Advertisement VIDEO | The Indian Hockey team presented PM Modi (@narendramodi) with a signed Hockey stick during the meeting. The Indian contingent that participated in the Paris Olympics is now scheduled to meet the PM after the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort. pic.twitter.com/p86FU0dGGT

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 15, 2024 At the meet later in the day, PR Sreejesh presented the jersey to PM Modi. The hockey team team also posed with their bronze medals from the Olympics.

India beat Spain in the bronze medal play-off to clinch the third place on the podium. It is the first time in 52 years that India have won medals at back-to-back Olympic editions. India men’s hockey team had won bronze at Tokyo 2020 as well.

PM Modi met other Olympians as well on the day with two-time medallist Manu Bhaker showcasing her gun. Bhaker became India’s first female to win a medal in shooting at an Olympics while breaking a 12-year drought for the sport at the Summer Games.

Also present at the event were wrestler Aman Sehrawat (bronze medalist), shooters Swapnil Kusale (bronze medalist) and shooter Sarabjot Singh (who won bronze alongside Bhaker).

Advertisement Your browser does not support the video tag. The Prime Minister also addressed the athletes at his residence in Delhi, with Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha among those present.

Badminton player Lakshya Sen, who was one of six athletes/teams that narrowly missed a medal by placing fourth, spoke at the event.

Earlier at Red Fort, during his Independence Day address to the nation, Modi commended the athletes for their exceptional performance at the Games.

“Today, we also have with us the youth who made the Indian flag fly high in the Olympics. On behalf of 140 crore countrymen, I congratulate all our athletes and players…In the next few days, a huge contingent of India will leave for Paris to participate in the Paralympics. I extend best wishes to all our Paralympians,” he said.

Advertisement PM Modi also stated with determination that India will be fully committed to hosting the Olympics in 2036.

“Hosting the 2036 Olympics is a dream for India, and we are actively preparing for it,” he remarked.