The Indian team that won the Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos, China, is now in Bhopal.
They reached Bhopal today evening, and will be meeting Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh tonight.
The hockey loving chief minister is hosting a dinner tonight during which he is expected to handover Rs.1 lack prize money to each player for winning the Asian Champions Trophy.
India won the Asian Champions Trophy four months ago, defeating Pakistan in the final. Hockey India presented the team with Rs.25,000 to each member of the team, which they refused to accept quoting it is too small to accept.
This created a national furore, and the MP Government fittingly came forward to present each of them Rs 1 lac.
Top officials from the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, Govt of MP, received the Indian team at the airport(picture).
Former Olympians Gurbux Singh, Ashok Diwan, Charles Cornelius and other Bhopal international players are also invited for the dinner.
He will also honour members of the Berlin Olympics team and present each of their families Rs one lakh, he said.
Chouhan will also felicitate former Olympians Ashok Kumar, Jalaluddin Rizvi, Sameer Daad, Abdul Gafoor, Mohammad Yusuf, Salim Abbasi, Khurshid Ali and Altaf-ur-Rehman.
The chief minister will also felicitate the state junior and sub-junior women’s hockey teams for winning the national championship and present the team members a cash award of Rs 10,000 each.