Tokyo 2020: Kerala government announces Rs 2 crore, job promotion for India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh
Sreejesh
acted
as
a
wall
for
his
team
on
several
crunch
moments
and
saved
several
goals
as
the
Indian
men’s
hockey
team
won
its
first
Olympic
medal
after
a
gap
of
41
years.
The
M
Vijayan
Government
announced
the
award
for
the
33-year-old
senior
India
custodian
and
also
promoted
him
as
the
joint
director
in
the
Kerala
Education
Department.
The
LDF
government
was
facing
a
lot
of
flak
from
the
opposition
for
not
announcing
any
cash
rewards
and
recognitions
for
the
star
hockey
player.
Earlier
on
Tuesday,
a
grand
reception
was
accorded
to
Sreejesh
at
the
Cochin
International
Airport
with
hundreds
of
fans
thronging
the
arrival
area
to
welcome
their
hero.
The
welcome
reception,
organised
by
the
Kerala
government,
was
led
by
Sports
Minister
V
Abdurahiman
with
the
participation
of
State
Sports
Council
President
Mercy
Kuttan,
MLA
PV
Sreenijan,
and
District
Collector
Jafer
Malik
among
others.
The
family
of
Sreejesh,
including
his
parents,
PV
Raveendran
and
Ushakumari,
wife
PK
Aneeshya
and
children
Anushree
and
Sreeansh
were
also
present
to
welcome
him
home.
In
an
emotional
moment,
Sreejesh
put
the
medal
around
his
father’s
neck.
Later,
he
was
taken
to
his
residence
at
Kizhakkambalam
in
an
open
jeep
accompanied
by
the
minister.
After
a
small
reception
at
his
hometown,
the
Kizhakkambalam-born
hockey
player
told
the
media
that
he
was
really
happy
was
such
a
grand
reception
was
accorded
to
him.
“This
medal
is
an
Onam
gift
to
everyone,”
he
said
raising
the
medal.
“Hockey
is
a
good
game
and
we
will
feel
addicted
to
it.
I
hope
more
parents
will
send
their
children
to
play
hockey
and
in
the
future
I
wish
more
players,
better
than
me,
win
gold
in
the
Olympics,”
he
said.
