New Delhi: The selection committee for this year’s National Sports Awards have named three-time Paralympic medalist Devendra Jhajharia, former cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, and ex-world champion boxer L Sarita Devi.
The Sports Ministry announced in a circular that retired Supreme Court judge Justice Mukundakum Sharma will chair the committee, which also includes decorated former shooter Anjali Bhagwat and former women’s cricket team captain Anjum Chopra.
Hockey coach Baldev Singh, Sports Authority of India Director General Sandip Pradhan, and renowned journalists Vijay Lokapally and Vikrant Gupta are among the members of the selection committee.
In the next few days, the committee will meet to decide the winners. The awards were postponed this year due to the government’s decision to wait till India’s performance at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The country made history in both events, winning an unprecedented seven medals in the Olympics and a record total of 19, including five gold medals, at the Paralympics.
Neeraj Chopra, a javelin thrower, was India’s biggest star at the Tokyo Olympics, winning a gold medal, the country’s first at the Games in athletics, and its first top finish in 13 years.
While Jhajharia added a silver medal to his two gold medals from the 2004 and 2016 editions of the Paralympics in Tokyo
The Khel Ratna award, which was renamed from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna this year, is the highest honor, followed by the Arjuna award.
The Khel Ratna has a reward pool of 25 lakh rupees, while the Arjuna has a prize pool of 15 lakh rupees.
The Dronacharya Award, the Lifetime Achievement award, the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) trophy for the year 2021 are also among the annual honors.
