Sports Authority of India (SAI) announced out of turn promotion for women’s hockey team skipper, Rani Rampal, in a move to honor her for being selected for the ‘World Games Athlete of the Year’ award. Rani, who joined SAI as a coach in 2015, has been promoted to the position of the coach (Level-10) with immediate effect.
Rijiju further claimed that the ministry believes in empowering the Indian athletes financially as he said, “Ensuring that our athletes have a sound financial standing is of immense importance. This is our way of appreciating Rani for all that she has contributed to the country.”
It is to be noted that Rani, who debuted in 2009 at the age of 15, captained the Indian side that booked the berth for the Rio Olympics in 2016. She also led the Indian women’s hockey team to the 2018 Asian Games silver medal as Captain. Under the leadership of Rani, India qualified for the Olympic Games for the third time by booking the berth for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Rani was conferred with the Arjuna Award in the year 2016. Rani has also been chosen to be presented with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India.
It is to be noted that SAI, in order to provide financial stability to leading sportspersons, has appointed many leading active athletes as coaches. SAI has appointed players like Muhammad Anas Yahia, Sharad Kumar, OP Jaisha, Savita Poonia and Ashwini Akunji as coaches.