UP CM Yogi gives grand welcome to FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 trophy

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave a grand welcome to the prestigious trophy of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025, to be held in Tamil Nadu here on Wednesday.

CM Adityanath said that welcoming the prestigious trophy of the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 in Lucknow is a joyous moment for him and the people of the state.

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Twenty-four teams, including India, China, Belgium, Japan, Spain, New Zealand, Chile, Canada, and Australia, are participating in the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup.

The Chief Minister said that the arrival of this trophy in Uttar Pradesh is a moment reminiscent of Uttar Pradesh’s golden history, and also UP’s contribution to Hockey India is unforgettable.

On the occasion, the CM also remembered Major Dhyan Chand, known as the Magician of Hockey. He said that Major Dhyan Chand was born in Uttar Pradesh. Under his leadership, the Indian hockey team won gold medals in three Olympics. The Chief Minister said that his government is building the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut, and its first session began this year.

The Chief Minister also mentioned the renowned hockey player KD Singh Babu, saying that he was also born in Uttar Pradesh. To keep his memory alive, his residence in Barabanki is being converted into a museum.

The Chief Minister also mentioned Uttar Pradesh hockey players, saying that the state has produced many such players who have brought honour to Hockey India. CM Adityanath also remembered the contributions of Padma Award-winning hockey players like Mohammad Shahid, Ashok Kumar, Ravindra Pal, Syed Ali, Dr. RP Singh, Sujit Kumar, Abdul Aziz, Subodh Khandekar, Rajneesh Mishra, Mohammad Shakeel, Devesh Chauhan, MP Singh, Jagveer Singh, Rahul Singh, Vivek Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Danish Mutajba, Rajkumar Pal, Prem Maya, Ranjana Srivastava, Manju Bisht, Pushpa Srivastava, and Preeti Dubey.

Adityanath said that even today, Uttar Pradesh’s players like Rajkumar Pal, Uttam Singh, Vishnukant Singh, Mumtaz, Sakshi, Jyoti, and Purnima are making the state and country proud by being selected in the senior and junior Indian women’s and men’s teams.

He welcomed all officials associated with the Junior Hockey World Cup to Lucknow and wished them a successful FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025. He also wished the Indian players success in the World Cup.

Present at the event were State Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Girish Chandra Yadav, Sports and Youth Welfare Department Secretary Suhas LYV, Director Dr RP Singh, Hockey India General Secretary Bholanath Singh, DG Hockey India Commander RK Srivastava, Uttar Pradesh Hockey General Secretary Rajneesh Kumar Mishra, international hockey player Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, and other Hockey India officials.

The FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 will be held in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. For the first time, 24 teams will participate in the tournament. Host India, which won the title in 2001 and 2016, will aim to win its third title on home turf.