Harmanpreet Singh, who was awarded the Men’s FIH Player of the Year award, on Friday expressed his gratitude to FIH and his teammates. He delighted, “First off, I would like to thank FIH for this great honour. After the Olympics, it was so great to go back home and have such huge crowds there to greet us and welcome us. It was a very very special feeling. I would like to mention my teammates, none of this would have been possible without you all.” 

Under his captaincy, India secured a second consecutive Olympic podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with him leading as the top scorer. He remarked, "My wife and daughter are here today, and receiving this award in front of them means the world to me. So thank you to everyone who made that possible!”

PR Sreejesh, who earned his third FIH Goalkeeper of the Year award, delivered a heartwarming speech, “I am so happy today. Thank you for this last playing honour of my playing career. As most people know, Paris 2024 was the last tournament I played for my country, and I just want to thank Hockey India for all the support and guidance offered over all the years I have played the sport.” 

He bid farewell to top-level hockey after an outstanding performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics. He thanked his teammates, stating, “This award completely belongs to my team, the defence who made sure most attacks never got to me, and the midfielders and forwards who covered up my mistakes by scoring more goals than I conceded.”