In what is a very nice bit of news for women’s sport in India, the hockey team, who finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, have seen some of their players be employed by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) as part of its policy to promote sports and women's hockey.
The 9 hockey players are Suman Devi Thoudam, Rajwinder Kaur, Rashmita Minz, Sharmila Devi, Ishika Chaudhary, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Deepika, Baljeet Kaur and Akshata Dhekale, a company statement said.
The Indian women’s hockey team were among the most talked about athletes after the Summer Games, as they punched well above their weight on the way to a fourth place finish.
"Nine players of the Indian hockey team have become part of the Indian Oil family as Indian Oil inducted them onto its rolls under its new sports policy which promotes women's hockey," it said.
The players were handed their appointment letters by IOC Chairman S M Vaidya in the presence of other company officials and Federation of International Hockey (FIH) President Narinder Dhruv Batra, who is also the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
Speaking at the induction ceremony, Vaidya said: "We recognise how sports is the most effective vehicle of ushering in enduring social change. IOC's commitment to gender equality had to manifest in our sporting outreaches." Talking about the firm's revamped sports policy, he said, "Last year we released our revised sports policy, included the provision for recruiting women hockey players for the first time. I am glad that within a few months of the policy's roll-out, we are witnessing the conversion of intent into action." Addressing the gathering, IOC Director (Human Resources) Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra said, "Sports is not just a CSR obligation for IOC but is part of our philosophy of 'Pehle Indian Phir Oil'. We recognise the power sports have to unify a nation and bring people together in resonance with the national spirit.
"The recruitment of these nine players in the IOC fold is the first of many steps by the corporation to take women's hockey in India to the pinnacle of success," it added.
The Tokyo Games were the women’s team’s third appearance at the showpiece event, with the second having come in 2016 in Rio. Their first was in Moscow in 1980. They finished fourth in 1980 and in Tokyo as well, the team’s best finish ever in the competition.
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