Tokyo Olympics: Punjab hockey players to get Rs 2.25 crore each on winning gold

Earlier, an amount of Rs 2.25 crore was announced for the entire team on winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

Indian Hockey team (Source: Twitter)

Punjab Sports Minister Rana Gurmeet Sodhi announced on Friday that hockey players from the state representing India at the Tokyo Olympics would get Rs 2.25 crore each if the team wins the gold medal.

Earlier, an amount of Rs 2.25 crore was announced for the entire team on winning gold at the Olympics.

Sodhi said that 11 players from the state are giving their best for the Indian hockey team competing in Tokyo Olympics.

Eight-time champions India have finished second in Group A behind Australia in Tokyo and will take on Great Britain in the quarterfinal to be played on Sunday (August 1), while 2004 champions Australia will meet the Netherlands in the biggest clash of the last-eight stage.

Argentina will play Germany in another quarterfinal while Belgium will meet Spain in the last quarterfinal on Sunday.

On Friday, India defeated Japan 5-3 in their final league game -- their third successive win in the group stage -- to finish second behind Australia, who were held 1-1 by Spain on Friday.

India had 12 points from four wins and a solitary defeat while Australia topped the pool with 13 points from four wins and a draw.

Reigning Olympic Champions Argentina secured third place in the six-team Pool A with seven points after a 4-1 win against New Zealand. Spain took the last quarterfinal spot from this Pool, finishing with five points following their draw with Australia. New Zealand and Japan finished fifth and sixth, with four and one point respectively.

In Pool B matches on Friday, Great Britain held world champions Belgium 2-2 while Germany beat the Netherlands 3-1.

Belgium thus topped the group with 13 points with Germany second with nine points. Britain ended third with eight points while the Netherlands had seven from two wins, one draw, and two losses. South Africa finished fifth while Canada finished fifth.

Quarterfinal line-up:

August 1:

• 6:00 am Germany v Argentina
• 8:30 am Australia v the Netherlands
• 3:00 pm Belgium v Spain
• 6:30 pm India v Great Britain