Following India's historic victory at the Thomas Cup final, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, 15 May, took to Twitter to congratulate the "accomplished team" and wished them the best.
"The Indian badminton team has scripted history! The entire nation is elated by India winning the Thomas Cup! Congratulations to our accomplished team and best wishes to them for their future endeavours. This win will motivate so many upcoming sportspersons," PM Modi tweeted.
Indian men’s badminton team defeated the 14-time winners and 2021 champions, Indonesia, 3-0 to clinch their maiden title at the first attempt in the tournament. Indonesia are in fact the most decorated country in the Thomas Cup. Indian men had previously reached the Thomas Cup semis in 1952, 1955, and 1979.
Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty, and Kidambi Srikhanth all won their matches to ensure the gold medal was going back home with India. Srikanth remained unbeaten through the course of the tournament.
Sports Ministry Announces 1 Crore Cash Award for the Team
Union Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs & Information and Broadcast (I&B), Anurag Thakur has since announced a cash award of Rs 1 crore for team India.
"As #TeamIndia defeats 14-time #ThomasCup Champions Indonesia (3-0) to win its st ever #ThomasCup2022, @IndiaSports is proud to announce a cash award of ₹ 1 crore for the team in relaxation of rules to acknowledge this unparalleled feat! Congratulations Team India!!," Thakur wrote on Twitter
"HISTORY CREATED ! Congratulations to the Indian men’s badminton team’s for winning the Thomas Cup! This extraordinary feat, with succesive victories over Malaysia, Denmark and Indonesia, calls for matching honour by the nation," he added.
India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin were among those who congratulated the team on the achievement.
While Jaishankar said, the win is a "real inspiration for so many young Indians", Stalin called it a "red-letter day for sports".
"India wins #ThomasCup for the first time by beating 14-time Champion Indonesia. This is a red-letter day for Indian Sports. My hearty congrats to all the players who helped India to script this truly historic victory," the chief minister wrote in a tweet.
Reacting to the development, former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer said, "Historic moment for Indian sport! Congratulations, and take a bow Team India #ThomasCup."
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