On Wednesday, India swept the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) annual awards, with five players and head coaches from the men’s and women’s teams taking home top honours in various categories.
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Indian athletes and coaches dominated the FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2020-21 after a historic bronze medal triumph for the Indian men’s team and a fantastic performance by the women’s team, who reached the final four in Tokyo. Harmanpreet Singh (Men) and Gurjit Kaur (Women) were named Player of the Year in their respective divisions.
Vivek Prasad (Best Rising Star, Men), Savita Punia (Best Goalkeeper, Women), Sharmila Devi (Best Rising Star, Women), PR Sreejesh (Best Goalkeeper, Men), and as well as men’s team head coach Graham Reid and India’s women’s team head coach Sjoerd Marijne received the most votes to finish first.
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Reid is still with the squad, although Marijne’s contract expired after the Tokyo Olympics. As represented by their respective national captains and coaches, National Association votes accounted for half of the total vote. In contrast, fans and players (25 per cent) and the media (25 per cent) accounted for the other half. “Fan engagement in the FIH Hockey Stars Awards has been extraordinary,” it stated, citing a record number of nearly 300,000 voters.
