Wins & losses part of life, Modi says after India's Olympic hockey defeat

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (3) praised the Indian men’s hockey team following their heart-breaking 2-5 defeat against Belgium in the semi-final of the Tokyo Olympics at the Oi Hockey Stadium. He said wins and losses are a part of life and India is proud of its players.

“Wins and losses are a part of life. Our Men's Hockey Team at #Tokyo2020 gave their best and that is what counts,” Modi tweeted. “Wishing the Team the very best for the next match and their future endeavours,” he said, adding that “India is proud of our players”.

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India played their first Olympic semi-final in almost 50 years after putting up an impressive show in the tournament in which they beat teams like New Zealand (3-2), Spain (3-0), Argentina (3-1), Japan (5-3) and Great Britain (3-1). They only lost to Australia 1-7 before the semi-final defeat. For Belgium, it is the second consecutive time that they have made the hockey finals at the Olympics.

Indian hockey player Hardik Singh reacts after his team lost the semi-final of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 to Belgium. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

India have won gold at Olympic hockey the most – eight times but the last of them came way back in 1980. However, the men in blue are still in for a medal as they will take on the losers of the other semi-final which will be held between Australia and Germany on Thursday (5).

According to officials, Modi spoke with Manpreet Singh, the captain of the hockey team, after their defeat to Belgium. Modi appreciated the team’s good performance at the mega event and wished them luck for the next game, they added.

Modi also tweeted during the game that he was watching it and that he was proud of the team and their skills.