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U.P. CM Yogi gives appointment letter to Tokyo Olympic medallist
It was a red-letter day in the sport history of Uttar Pradesh as chief minister Yogi Adityanath handed over the appointment letter to Lalit Upadhyay, a member of the bronze-medal-winning Indian men’s hockey at the Tokyo Olympics, here on Tuesday
It was a red-letter day in the sport history of Uttar Pradesh as chief minister Yogi Adityanath handed over the appointment letter to Lalit Upadhyay, a member of the bronze-medal-winning Indian men’s hockey at the Tokyo Olympics, here on Tuesday.
This is the first time in Uttar Pradesh that a sportsperson has been given a direct appointment on a gazetted post. Also, it was a much-awaited occasion for Upadhyay who has been appointed as a deputy superintendent of police in Uttar Pradesh Police.
The CM himself had announced this while distributing cash awards to all the medal-winning Indian athletes of the Tokyo Olympics at a function held in Lucknow in August last year.
The CM handed over the letter to Upadhyay while welcoming the glittering trophy of the forthcoming 15th Men’s Hockey World Cup scheduled to be held from January 13 to 29 at Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in Odisha. The trophy is on a tour to various places of the country and it reached the state capital only on Monday.
Appreciating Upadhyay, Yogi said the U.P. government was committed to the promotion of sports and sportspersons in the state. In this series, medal winners of various international competitions, including the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, were offered jobs in government departments.
“The whole country is excited to host the Hockey World Cup in Odisha. Under the guidance of the PM, this “Hockey Mahakumbh” will also be an opportunity for the world to get acquainted with India’s spirit of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’,” the CM said while extending his best wishes to the games’ governing body Hockey India for the successful conduct of the World Cup.
He also said a new sports culture was developing in India under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi. “Indian players are creating a new history in various international sports events. Indian fans have always had a special attachment to hockey. It is our national game and India has a glorious past in hockey on the global stage. We won eight gold medals in the Olympics. All the sports-loving Indians are eager to support their national team in this World Cup,” Yogi said.
He also spoke about Uttar Pradesh’s contribution to Indian hockey. “Our state is a fertile land for hockey. Uttar Pradesh has produced many talented hockey players who have excelled at the national and international levels. Major Dhyan Chand, the great hockey player known as ‘Hockey Wizard’ in the sports world, is the pride of Uttar Pradesh,” the CM said.
“The state government is setting up the state’s first sports university in Meerut in honour of this great patriotic player. Similarly, KD Singh ‘Babu’, the pride of hockey, is the source of inspiration for the youth of Uttar Pradesh. The current sports director of the state himself has been the captain of the national hockey team,” he added.
