Jhajharia, Prasad named in National Sports Awards selection committee
(Sourced from PTI)
Three-time Paralympic medal-winning javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, former cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, and ex-world champion boxer L Sarita Devi have been named in the selection committee for this year's National Sports Awards. Retired Supreme Court judge Justice Mukundakum Sharma has been picked as the chairperson of the committee, which also includes decorated former shooter Anjali Bhagwat, the sports ministry stated in a circular.
It also includes former women's cricket team captain Anjum Chopra. Jhajharia won a silver medal at the recent Tokyo Games. The committee will be meeting in the next few days to decide the winners. This year's awards were delayed after the government decided to wait for India's performance at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The country notched up historic results in both the events with an unprecedented seven medals in the Olympics being followed by a record haul of 19, including five gold, at the Paralympics. Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was the biggest star of the Olympics with gold, which was India's first athletics medal at the Games and the first top finish in 13 years.
The highest honor is the Khel Ratna award, which was rechristened from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna this year, followed by the Arjuna award. The Khel Ratna carries prize money of Rs. 25 lakh, while the Arjuna Award comes with a prize money of Rs. 15 lakh. For coaches, there is the Dronacharya award.
The annual honors also include the Lifetime Achievement award, the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) trophy for the year 2021. The selection committee also includes hockey coach Baldev Singh, Sports Authority of India Director General Sandip Pradhan, and senior journalists Vijay Lokapally and Vikrant Gupta.
