President confers sports award on Indian hockey captain from Simdega
Manu Bhaker, D Gukesh among four receive Khel Ratna
New Delhi: President Draupadi Murmu conferred the prestigious Arjuna Award 2024 on Salima Tete, the captain of the Indian women’s hockey team, during the National Sports Awards ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Friday. Salima, a native of Simdega district in Jharkhand, has become the first female hockey player from the state to receive this honour.
Salima joins an elite group of Jharkhand hockey players previously recognized on the national stage. Olympian Michael Kindo, the only other hockey player from the state to receive the Arjuna Award, was honored in the past. In the last decade, hockey players Sylvanus Dung Dung and the late Michael Kindo were also recipients of the Major Dhyan Chand Award.
At the event, 32 players, including Indian men’s hockey stars Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Abhishek, and Sukhjeet Singh, were also honored with Arjuna Awards for their exceptional performances in sports.
In addition to the Arjuna Award recipients, several other prominent athletes received accolades. Double Olympic medalist shooter Manu Bhaker, teenage chess world champion D Gukesh, men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, and Paralympic gold-winning high jumper Praveen Kumar were honored with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna.
