New Delhi, June 8 (IANS) The Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, felicitated both the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Head Office in New Delhi on Monday for their stupendous performance in the just-concluded Under-18 Asia Cup in Japan.

The Indian U-18 men’s hockey team, led by captain Ketan Kushwaha, was crowned champions of the U-18 Asia Cup 2026 after defeating hosts Japan 4-1 in the final in Kakamigahara on Friday.

The Union Sports Minister handed a cheque of INR 61.5 lakh to the men’s team.

On the other hand, the Indian U-18 women’s hockey team, led by captain Sweety Kujur, secured the bronze medal at the Under-18 Asia Cup after registering a commanding 3-0 victory over Korea in the bronze medal match.

Dr Mandaviya handed the women’s team a cheque of INR 21 Lakh as encouragement.

Dr Mandaviya shared words of encouragement for both the men’s and women’s teams, saying, “I would like to congratulate both the teams for the hard work they have put in for bringing laurels for the country. The entire nation is proud of you. I would like to tell you that this is just the start. There is no alternative to hard work.

“Someone who has scored 13 goals should think of scoring 15 or more goals. Someone who has stopped 10 goals should aim for not letting the opponents even score one. Whether you study or play sports, there should be total commitment. Keep performing to the best of your abilities and making your parents and well-wishers happy; that should be your aim,” he said.

Dr Mandaviya said that the Government of India is fully committed to transforming India into a sports superpower as envisioned by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Sports Minister also felicitated the Best scorer in the men’s & women’s teams, Ashish Tani Purti and Nousheen Naz, and the best goalkeeper, Ayush Rajak, who saved 10 goals in the prestigious tournament.

The Sports Minister also felicitated former Indian hockey captains Rani Rampal and Sardara Singh, who are serving as the coaches of the Indian women’s and men’s teams, respectively, for the Under-18 Asia Cup.

–IANS

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