BHUBANESWAR 29-Aug-2014 164
President of India Pranab Mukherjee today conferred the prestigious Dronacharya Award on Odisha-based Kerala-SAI rowing coach Jose Jacob at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi today. Mired in selection controversies and devoid of a Khel Ratna for the first time in 20 years, the National Sports Awards here in a ceremony which was severely short on star power.
Add to this, the awards selection committee did not find any athlete worthy of the country`s highest sporting honour -- the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- this year.
None of the seven candidates, whose names were forwarded to the committee, got the 12-member panel`s nod, making it the first time since 1994 when no sportsperson was named for the top award.
Vice-President M Hamid Ansari and Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal were present on the occation. Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand awardees received statuettes, citations and cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each. Recipients of Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar were given trophies.
The awards selection panel, headed by cricket legend Kapil Dev, included the likes of Anju Bobby George and Kunjarani Devi, two mediapersons and three government representatives, including Sports Authority of India Director General Jiji Thomson.
AWARD LIST:
Arjuna Award: Akhilesh Varma (Archery), Tintu Luka (Athletics), HN Girisha (Paralympics), V Diju (Badminton), Geetu Ann Jose (Basketball), Jai Bhagwan (Boxing), Ravichandran Ashwin (Cricket), Anirban Lahiri (Golf), Mamta Pujari (Kabaddi), Saji Thomas (Rowing), Heena Sidhu (Shooting), Anaka Alankamany (Squash), Tom Joseph (Volleyball), Renubala Chanu
(Weightlifting) and Sunil Rana (Wrestling).
Dronacharya Award: Mahabir Prasad (Wrestling), N Lingappa (Athletics - Lifetime), G Manoharan (Boxing - Lifetime), Gurcharan Singh Gogi (Judo - Lifetime), Jose Jacob (Rowing - Lifetime).
Dhyan Chand Award: Gurmail Singh (Hockey), K P Thakkar (Swimming - Diving), Zeeshan Ali (Tennis).
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar: 1. Employment of sports persons and sports welfare measures Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), 2. Community Sports - identification and nurturing of budding /young talent Jindal Steel Works (JSW), 3. Establishment and Management of sports academies of excellence Guru Hanuman Akhara, Delhi, 4. Other forms of sports activities not covered in the four categories mentioned in the schemes Child Link Foundation of India (Magic Bus).
