BHUBANESWAR 31-Aug-2013 185
Robbed of some sheen due to selection controversies this year, the National Sports Awards were presented today to the country`s top athletes and coaches with shooter Ronjan Sodhi getting the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the country`s highest sporting honour, while cricketer Virat Kohli was among the Arjuna awardees.
A loud applause greeted the ace shooter as he received the Khel Ratna award from President Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of a host of Ministers, dignitaries and sports celebrities. But there was some drama just hours before the awards when long-jumper Renjith Maheshwary`s Arjuna award was held back after reports emerged of him being a dope-tainted athlete.
Sodhi became the seventh shooter to be honoured with the prestigious award. Interestingly, it is for the third consecutive year that the Khel Ratna award has gone to a shooter. However, rising badminton player P V Sindhu, who became the first Indian woman shuttler to clinch a bronze medal at the World Championships, could not be present at the function personally to take the award.
The choices were made by a selection committee headed by three-time billiards world champion Michael Ferreira and comprised noted sportspersons like Limba Ram, V Devarajan, Zafar Iqbal, Vandana Rao, Anjali Bhagwat, Indu Puri, Shakti Singh, Ravi Shastri, Kripa Shankar Patel and Surinder Khanna besides a few other bureaucrats.
AWARD WINNERS:
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: Ronjan Sodhi
Arjuna Award: Chekrovolu Swuro (Archery), P V Sindhu (Badminton), Kavita Chahal (Boxing), Rupesh Shah (Billiards & Snooker), Virat Kohli (Cricket), Abhijeet Gupta (Chess), Gagan Jeet Bhullar (Golf), Saba Anjum (Hockey), Rajkumari Rathore (Shooting), Joshna Chinnappa (Squash), Mouma Das (Table Tennis), Neha Rathi (Wrestling), Dharmender Dalal (Wrestling), Amit Kumar Saroha (Para Athletics).
Dronacharya Awards: Purnima Mahato (Archery), Mahavir Singh (Boxing), Narinder Singh Saini (Hockey), K P Thomas (Athletics), Raj Singh (Wrestling).
Dhyan Chand Awards: Mary D`souza Sequeira (Athletics), Syed Ali (Hockey), Anil Mann (Wrestling), Girraj Singh (Para Sports).
E Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards: Basant Singh Roy (Mountaineering), Major Ranveer Singh Jamwal (Mountaineering), Lt. Cdr. Abhilash Tomy (Sailing), Naib Subedar Paramjeet Singh Siddhu (Hang Gliding), Prem Singh (Mountaineering), Hari Ram (Mountaineering).
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar: Community Sports Identification and Nurturing of Budding Young Talent (Dr U K Mishra, Founder and President, National Sports Academy, Allahabad), Financial Support for Sports Excellence (Services Sports Control Board), Establishment and Management of Sports Academies of Excellence (Pullela Gopichand Academy of Badminton, Hyderabad), Employment of Sportspersons and sports welfare measures (Petroleum Sports Promotion Board).
G Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy: Guru Nanak Dev Vishwavidyalay, Amritsar (2010-11), Punjabi Vishwavidyalay, Patiala (2011-12), Punjabi Vishwavidyalay, Patiala (2012-13).
