Unique awards ceremony goes off smoothly virtually
NEWDELHI:WEARING a PPE kit over her saree, women’s hockey captain Rani Rampal took tentative steps as she emerged from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru on Saturday. After her car was sanitised, Rampal was ready to leave for the National Sports Awards ceremony at the Vidhana Soudha in the heart of the city, where the award winners were connected to the President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju at Vigyan Bhavan here. This was the scene across 11 designated centres in various cities, where 60 of the 74 award winners were conferred the Sports Awards in a virtual ceremony.
The Sports Awards, which are conferred every year on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Dhyan Chand, had a different feel to it this time. Hours before the ceremony, the death of former athletics coach Purushotham Rai, 79, who was to receive the Dronacharya (lifetime) award in Bengaluru, came as a shock.
“He was there with us, looking normal and came to participate in the dress rehearsal yesterday (Friday). Everyone felt sad,” said hockey coach and former international Jude Felix, who was conferred the Dronacharya in Bengaluru.
Undeterred by the circumstances, the athletes celebrated the moment while maintaining distance. The ceremony went off without a glitch with the athletes facing the camera following the announcement of their names and accomplishments. They greeted the President and Sports Minister before moving out. The citations were given at the respective centres while the trophies will be handed over later.
“Because of Covid we had to take safety precautions. It is a different feeling when you get the award at the President’s House. But this time it was a different experience,” Rampal said.
PRIDE FOR KULKARNI MUMBAI: Former India cricketer Nilesh Kulkarni said it was a “matter of immense pride” after his International Institute of Sports Management was honoured with the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar.
“It is a matter of immense pride for IISM to be recognised for its contribution in sports management,” Kulkarni said.
CHESS OLYMPIAD