Hockey India announces cash reward for Asian Games gold-winning Indian men’s team

The Indian men’s hockey team has been rewarded for its historic Asian Games 2026 campaign after defending its gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya.

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey announced a cash prize of ₹11 lakh for every player of the gold-medal winning team, while each member of the support staff will receive ₹5.5 lakh. The announcement came after India defeated Malaysia 5-1 in the final on Saturday to retain the Asian Games title.

The victory was special for Indian hockey as the men’s team became the first Indian side to successfully defend its Asian Games gold. India had won the previous edition in Hangzhou and followed it up with another title in Japan.

Tirkey praised the players, coaches, captain and support staff for their efforts throughout the tournament.

“Team India has won back-to-back Asian Games gold medals. In the last Asian Games, we defeated Japan 5-1, and today, we beat Malaysia 5-1 in the final. Team India’s performance was excellent. Winning the gold medal again is a fantastic achievement,” Tirkey said.

The former India captain also pointed out another major achievement from the tournament. For the first time, India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams won gold medals at the same Asian Games.

“History has also been made here because, for the first time in Indian hockey history at the Asian Games, both the women’s and men’s teams have won gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Games,” Tirkey said.

The men’s gold also secured India a direct qualification spot for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Tirkey said that qualification was one of the main targets for the team at the Asian Games.

“Our players, coaches, support staff, and captain all did a fantastic job. In today’s match, it looked like we would win against Malaysia. We got our goal late but managed to win 5-1. The most important thing is that we will qualify for the Olympics 2028 directly. Asian Games were our direct target,” he said.

Tirkey also thanked the Odisha and central governments for their support towards Indian hockey.

“The aim has always been to develop the sport and the players, and they have helped in that. I thank the Odisha government for standing with Indian hockey. The central government is also supporting us well. I would like to thank everyone,” he added.

India’s road to Asian Games hockey gold

India began its title defence in Pool A with a 13-1 win over Indonesia. The team then produced another big victory, beating Sri Lanka 16-1. South Korea provided a tougher test, but India still came away with an 8-2 win.

India next faced hosts Japan and registered a 2-0 victory before ending the group stage with a 10-0 demolition of Bangladesh. Five wins from five matches saw India finish top of Pool A with a +45 goal difference.

The semi-final against Pakistan was a much closer contest. India led 3-0 but Pakistan fought back to level the score. With less than a minute remaining, Abhishek scored the decisive goal as India secured a thrilling 4-3 victory and booked a place in the final.

Malaysia awaited India in the gold-medal match. India eventually produced another strong display to win 5-1. Harmanpreet Singh scored twice, while Jugraj Singh, Hardik Singh and Shilanand Lakra also found the net. The victory gave India its fifth Asian Games men’s hockey gold and a second straight title.