Muscat. Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh has been awarded the title of “Player of the Year” for the year 2024, while former goalkeeper PR Sreejesh received the “Goalkeeper of the Year” award. The awards were presented at a grand ceremony held at the 49th FIH Statutory Congress in Oman on Friday. The winners were announced after a vote by an expert panel, National Associations – represented by the captains and coaches of their respective national teams – fans and the media. Harmanpreet Singh secured the highest number of votes among all male players. Harmanpreet performed brilliantly in the Paris 2024 Olympics and scored 10 goals, which included goals in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and bronze medal match. India won the Olympic medal for the second consecutive time by defeating Spain 2-1 in this match. The Indian team won a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after 41 years, and Harmanpreet was an important part of the team. He had earlier also won this award in 2020-21 and 2021-22, but this time as captain, this title has become more special for him by leading the country to a medal in the Olympics. Harmanpreet said, “I want to thank FIH. It was very special to go back home after the Olympics and be welcomed by so many people. I thank all my teammates because without them this would not have been possible.
Thanks also to Hockey India which gives us opportunities to succeed at every level. My wife and daughter are here, and it is very special for me to receive this award in front of them. On the other hand, PR Sreejesh ended his career at the Paris 2024 Olympics and won an Olympic medal for the second time. He also received the “FIH Goalkeeper of the Year” award for the third time. Sreejesh gave many stellar performances for the Indian team, especially in the quarter-finals against Great Britain, where the team won despite playing with 10 players most of the time. Like Harmanpreet Singh, Sreejesh also got the maximum votes from all categories of voters. Thanking those who helped him in his illustrious career, Sreejesh said, “I am very happy today. Thank you for the last honor of my sports career. As most people know, Paris 2024 was the last tournament I played for my country and I would like to thank Hockey India for all the support and guidance given over the years. This award belongs entirely to my team, the defense who ensured that most of the attacks did not reach me, and the midfielders and forwards who covered up my mistakes by scoring more goals than I scored.