Harpal Singh Bedi / NEW DELHI
Ace Table Tennis player and Commonwealth Games Gold medal winner Achanta Sharath Kamal has been nominated for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, while 25 athletes including will receive the Arjuna Award this year.
President Droupadi Murmu will bestow these awards on November 30 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
Sharath, the most successful (Male) table tennis player of the country has played in three Olympic Games, five Commonwealth Games and four Asian Games besides bagging the national title a record 10 times.Those nominated for the Arjuna Award for this year include among others veteran discus thrower Seema Punia, badminton players Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy, who played a key role in the Indian team’s maiden triumph in the Thomas Cup, boxer Amit Phangal, woman hockey player Deep Grace Ekka, shooters Elavenil Valarivan and Omprakash Mitharval and young table tennis star Sreeja Akula, who partnered Sharath Kamal to mixed doubles title at Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The list includes three para-badminton stars — World Champion Manasi Joshi, Tarun Dhillon and Swapnil Sanjay Patil. Top wrestlers Anshu and Sarita too were awarded the Arjuna as was Nayan Moi Saikia, who helped India bag their maiden gold medal in lawn balls at Birmingham.
No cricketer finds place in the list while the renowned coach from the Mumbai maidans, Dinesh Jawahar Lad, who has coached skipper Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur and Yashavi Jaiswal, was the lone awardee from the sport — nominated for the Dronacharya Award in the Lifetime Category.
Jiwanjot Singh Teja (archery), Mohammad Ali Qamar (boxing), Suma Shirur (shooting) and Sujeet Maan (wrestling) will receive the Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches
Athlete Ashwini Akkunji, hockey player Dharamvir Singh, kabaddi player BC Suresh and para-athlete Nir Bahadur Gurung — have been nominated for the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Besides Lad, veteran football coach Bimal Ghosh and Raj Singh (wrestling) will be given the Dronacharya Award for the Lifetime Category.
TransStadia Enterprises Private Limited will receive the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, 2022 for identification and nurturing of budding and young talent, while Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology and Ladakh Ski & Snowboard Association has been nominated for encouragement to sports through corporate social responsibility and sports for development respectively.
List of awardees:
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna : Achanta Sharath Kamal.
Arjuna Awards ; Seema Punia (Athletics), Eldhose Paul (Athletics), Avinash Mukund Sable (Athletics), Lakshya Sen (Badminton), HS Prannoy (Badminton), Amit (Boxing), Nikhat Zareen (Boxing), Bhakti Pradip Kulkarni (Chess), R Praggnanandhaa (Chess), Deep Grace Ekka (Hockey), Sushila Devi (Judo), Sakshi Kumari (Kabaddi), Nayan Moni Saikia (Lawn Bowl), Sagar Kailas Ovhalkar (Mallakhamb), Elavenil Valarivan (Shooting), Omprakash Mitharval (Shooting), Sreeja Akula (Table Tennis), Vikas Thakur (Weightlifting), Anshu (Wrestling), Sarita (Wrestling), Parveen (Wushu), Manasi Girishchandra Joshi (Para Badminton), Tarun Dhillon (Para Badminton), Swapnil Sanjay Patil (Para Swimming), Jerlin Anika J (Deaf Badminton).