Coaches of weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, cricketer Rishabh Pant recommended for Dronacharya Award

New Delhi: World champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu’s coach Vijay Sharma and well-known cricket coach Tarak Sinha were among those recommended on Sunday by a selection committee for the prestigious Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand Awards. The committee, which met here under the chairmanship of retired Justice Mukul Mudgal, recommended Vijay Sharma, boxing coach C A Kuttappa and Srinivasa Rao (table tennis) for the Dronacharya (regular) award. [caption id=“attachment_4419791” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Mirabai Chanu. Reuters[/caption] An Army coach, Kuttappa has been associated with Indian boxing for more than a decade. Vijender Singh has credited him for guiding him during his 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medal win. Tarak Sinha, who has coached the likes of Ashish Nehra and Rishabh Pant among others, was recommended for Dronacharya (lifetime) Award, along with Clarence Lobo (hockey) and Jiwan (judo). For the Dhyan Chand Award, Bharat Chetri (hockey), Satya Dev Prasad (archery) and Dadu Chowgule (wrestling) were recommended. The selection committee, headed by Justice Mudgal, also has other members in former Commonwealth Games gold-winning air pistol shooter Samresh Jung, shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa, former national boxing coach G S Sandhu, hockey coach AK Bansal and archery coach Sanjeeva Singh apart from Sports Authority of India’s Special Director General Onkar Kedia and Joint Secretary (Sports) Inder Dhamija. The panel also has two sports journalists and Target Olympic Podium Scheme CEO Commander Rajesh Rajagopalan. Dronacharya award is presented to coaches for their outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis over a period of four years. The Dhyanchand honour is bestowed on sportspersons for their life-time achievements and contribution to sport during both their active career and after retirement. The National Sports Awards ceremony, held on August 29 every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, will be organised on 25 September this year. The change of schedule was done because of the clash of dates with the Asian Games, which concluded on 2 September in Jakarta.