Devendra Jhajharia, a three-time Paralympic medalist in javelin throwing, former cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, and ex-world champion boxer L Sarita Devi have been selected to the selection committee for this year’s National Sports Awards.
The group will be chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Mukundakum Sharma, who will be joined by decorated former shooter Anjali Bhagwat, according to a circular issued by the sports ministry.
The committee will convene in the coming days to vote on the winners
Anjum Chopra, the previous captain of the women’s cricket team, is also on the list.
Jhajharia took silver in the recent Tokyo Olympics.
The committee will convene in the coming days to determine the winners. The prizes for this year were postponed since the government opted to wait for India’s performance at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
India achieved remarkable results at the Olympics and Paralympics
The country achieved remarkable performance in both competitions, with an unprecedented seven medals in the Olympics followed by a record total of 19, including five gold, in the Paralympics.
The Olympics’ biggest star was javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who won gold, India’s first athletics medal at the Games, and the country’s first top finish in 13 years.
The Khel Ratna award offers a cash reward of Rs. 25 lakh
The highest accolade is the Khel Ratna award, which was renamed Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna this year after being named Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.
The Khel Ratna has a reward fund of Rs. 25 lakh, while the Arjuna Award has a prize fund of Rs. 15 lakh.
The Dronacharya Award is given to coaches.
Baldev Singh, a hockey coach, is also on the selection committee
The Lifetime Achievement award, the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) trophy for 2021 are also part of the yearly accolades.
Hockey coach Baldev Singh, Sports Authority of India Director General Sandip Pradhan, and veteran journalists Vijay Lokapally and Vikrant Gupta are also on the selection committee.