Salima Tete, the captain of the Indian women's hockey team, is set to receive the Arjuna Award for her outstanding achievements in the sport. She is the first female hockey player from Jharkhand to receive this honor and the second from the state after Olympian Michael Kindo in 1972. She led her team to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics and defended their Asian Champions Trophy title.
Salima credits her success to the collective effort of her teammates and support staff, highlighting the growing recognition of women athletes in India. She mentioned "I am very happy to be selected for this big award, one that only a few are fortunate enough to get. It is a proud moment for been given to me, it belongs to the entire team and our support staff. It's only because we play together as a team that we have been able to perform on the ground."
Bijay Shankar, General Secretary, of Hockey Jharkhand said "We are all very happy, and I extend best wishes to everyone on behalf of Hockey Jharkhand. We are all feeling very proud, and more women players will be honored with awards in the coming times."
In addition to this, another women athlete who brought laurels to the nation is Manu Bhaker, a double Olympic medallist. She will receive the Khel Ratna Award at the National Sports Awards 2024, mentioned in a statement by the Ministry of Youth & Affairs.
Indian chess grandmaster Vantika Agrawal, athlete Jyothi Yarraji, para-athletes Preeti Pal, Jeevanji Deepthi, Simran, and para-Olympic shooters Mona Agarwal and Rubina Francis will receive Arjuna Awards for their brilliant performances.
President Droupadi Murmu will present the awards on 17 January 2024 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
