New Delhi, Aug 30 (IBNS): President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday honoured Olympic medallists Vijay Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the country's highest sporting award, while a record 25 athletes were honoured with the Arjuna Award.
Pistol shooter Vijay, who won the silver medal, and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, a bronze medallist, were awarded the country's highest sporting honour for their sterling performance in the London Olympic Games. The award carries a statuette, citation and cash prize of Rs.7.5 lakh each.
For the first time, an unprecedented 25 athletes were given the Arjuna Award since this was the Olympic year. The award carries a statuette, citation and enhanced cash prize of Rs.5 lakh each.
Generally not more than 15 Arjuna awards are given in a calendar year but an exception has been made this time because it is an Olympics year.
Cricketer Yuvraj Singh who has recovered from cancer, and para athlete Deepa Malik were among those who were awarded with the Arjuna Award.
“It’s a special award for me. I had been nominated few times but finally I got it this time. It’s a proud moment for me and my family. The award will give me a lot of confidence to make a comeback and perform well,” said Yuvraj.
But the loudest applause was reserved for Deepa and another paralympics athlete Ramkaran Singh.
"I am deeply honoured by this award. Paralympics is a very underrated event and I hope now that people will take more interest," said Deepa.
The president also gave away Dronacharya Awards to eight coaches in recognition of their meritorious achievements in the field of coaching. The award carries a statuette, citation and enhanced cash prize of Rs.5 lakh each.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: Vijay Kumar (shooting), Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestler).
Dronacharya: Virender Poonia (athletics), Sunil Dabas (kabaddi women), Yashvir Singh (wrestling), Harendra Singh (hockey), Satyapal Singh (para sports ahletics), J.S. Bhatia (athletics), Bhawani Mukherjee (table tennis), and B.I. Fernandez (boxing).
Arjuna Award: Deepika Kumari (archery), Laishram Bombayla Devi (archery), Sudha Singh (athletics), Kavita Ramdas Raut (athletics), Ashwani Ponnappa (badminton), Parupalli Kashyap (badminton), Aditya Mehta (billiards and snooker), Vikas Krishan (boxing), Yuvraj Singh (cricket), Sardar Singh (hockey), Yashpal Solanki (judo), Anup Kumar (kabaddi), Samir Suhag (polo), Annu Raj Singh (shooting), Omkar Singh (shooting), Joydeep Karmakar (shooting), Deepika Pallikal (squash), Sandeep Sejwal (swimming), Sonia Chanu (weightlifting), Narsingh Yadav (wrestling), Rajinder Kumar (wrestling), Geeta Phogat (wrestling), Bimoljit Singh (wushu), Deepa Malik (athletics paralympics), and Ramkaran Singh (athletics paralympics).
Dhyanchand Award: Jagraj Singh Mann (athletics), Gundeep Kumar (hockey), Vinod Kumar (wrestling), and Sukhbir Singh Tokas (para-sports).
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar: Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL), Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), and Services Sports Control Board (SSCB).