Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav met the medal winning players of Under-18 Hockey Asia Cup 2026. An incentive amount of Rs 3 lakh each was announced for the gold medal winning players and Rs 1 lakh each for the bronze medal winners.
Young hockey players of Madhya Pradesh have made the state proud by performing brilliantly on the international stage. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav honored the players who returned after winning medals in the Under-18 Men’s and Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2026 held in Japan in Bhopal. On this occasion, while announcing cash incentives to the players, he said that the increasing representation of Madhya Pradesh in Indian hockey is a matter of pride for the entire state.
The Chief Minister said that the state government is fully committed to the development of sports and players. He expressed confidence that players from Madhya Pradesh will perform even better in the upcoming Asian Games and international competitions.
Gold winners will get Rs 3 lakh, Bronze winners will get Rs 1 lakh.
The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to give an incentive of Rs 3 lakh each to the gold medal winning players of the Under-18 men’s hockey team and Rs 1 lakh each to the bronze medal winning players of the women’s team.
In this tournament held from 29 May to 6 June 2026 in Kakamigahara city of Japan, the Indian men’s team won the gold medal and the women’s team won the bronze medal. Six players from Madhya Pradesh State Men’s Hockey Academy, Bhopal represented India in the men’s team, while four players from Gwalior Academy made it to the women’s team.
MP players left their mark
The Chief Minister said that many players coming from districts like Bhopal, Jabalpur, Narmadapuram, Seoni, Umaria and Barwani are from ordinary families. On the basis of his hard work and talent, he has gained recognition at the international level.
Women’s Hockey Academy player Nauseen Naz achieved the distinction of becoming the ‘top scorer’ by scoring 12 goals in the entire tournament. Men’s team goalkeeper Ayush Rajak was awarded the ‘Best Goalkeeper Award’ for his excellent performance.
Madhya Pradesh is becoming strong again in hockey
Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav said that at one time Madhya Pradesh had given many Olympian hockey players to the country. In the intervening few years, the state lagged behind in this game, but now it is making a strong comeback and is joining the ranks of leading states in the field of hockey.
Sports Minister Vishwas Sarang also praised the players and coaches and said that the results of continuous better training and government support are now visible at the international level. This success of the players will also become an inspiration for other youth of the state.