Paris Olympics: PR Sreejesh will be the flag bearer along with Manu in the closing ceremony
Paris Olympics: IOA president PT Usha said Sreejesh was an emotional and popular choice within the IOA leadership. Sreejesh retired from international hockey after the Indian men's hockey team won bronze at the ongoing Games.
Ankush Pandey
Paris Olympics
Indian hockey team's veteran goalkeeper, PR Sreejesh, will be flag bearer of India along with Manu Bhaker in the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics. The Indian Olympic Association gave this information on Friday. The IOA said in its statement, 'The Indian Olympic Association is happy to appoint hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh as the joint flag bearer with pistol shooter Manu Bhaker in Sreejesh will be included in the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
IOA President PT Usha emphasized that Sreejesh was a popular and emotional choice within the IOA leadership. Sreejesh retired from international hockey after the Indian men's hockey team won bronze in the current Games. On Friday, Hockey India appointed the veteran player as the head coach of the junior men's hockey team. He will now prepare the young team for future challenges.
India won the bronze medal by defeating Spain 2-1 on Thursday and with this, Sreejesh said goodbye to hockey. Sreejesh has been an important member of the Indian hockey team for a long time. Sreejesh also performed brilliantly in the Paris Olympics and stood like a wall in front of the opposing team. In the bronze medal match against Spain, Sreejesh made great saves in the last quarter and prevented them from taking the lead. In this way, the team bid farewell to Sreejesh with a victory.
What did Sreejesh say on the decision of retirement?
After Sreejesh's retirement on Friday, fans were constantly demanding his return. Regarding this, he said, 'This is the right time to say goodbye. I think this is the right way to say goodbye to the Olympic Games, with a medal. We are not going home empty-handed, which is a big thing. I respect people's feelings but some decisions are difficult. Making a decision at the right time makes the situation beautiful. So my decision will not change. The team has performed brilliantly and made this match so memorable. The medal won in Tokyo has a special place in my heart. This gave us confidence that we can win a medal in the Olympics.'
