Tokyo 2020: Uttarakhand CM announces Rs 25 lakh cash reward for hockey star Vandana Katariya

With the Indian contingent performing outstandingly in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, the country is overjoyed and states are announcing rewards for players from their respective states. Now Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh for India women's hockey team member Vandana Katariya for her performance at the Tokyo Olympics.

Vandana Katariya is the first Indian woman hockey player to score an Olympic hat-trick during the match with South Africa in which India won 4-3 to keep quarterfinal hopes alive. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that all are proud of Uttarakhand's daughter Vandana Katariya whose contribution to the game will always be remembered.

Vandana Katariya has played for the women's hockey senior national team in more than 200 international matches and was also part of the team that won a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games.

Dhami also announced that an attractive new sports policy would soon be introduced in the state to help find and grow young talents from different sports.

Indian women's hockey team lost 3-4 to Great Britain in a hard-fought bronze play-off match in Tokyo on Friday, with dreams of winning the first-ever Olympic medal in women's hockey shattered.

The India women's hockey team qualified for the Olympics for the first time in Rio in 2016 finishing 12th out of 20 teams. However, they managed to finish fourth this time, shattering all earlier records and showcasing their rise over the years.