Justice Mudgal to head selection committee for Dronacharya and Dhaynchand awards

Justice Mukul Mudgal, who headed the Supreme Court-appointed probe into the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, has been named chairman of the 11-member selection committee to pick this year's Dronacharya and Dhyanchand awardees.

The panel headed by Mudgal, the retired Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, has been picked by the Sports Ministry but it yet to be officially announced.

"The meeting will take place on September 16 in Delhi," a source in the panel told PTI.

The selection committee features former Commonwealth Games gold-winning air pistol shooter Samresh Jung and shuttler Ashwini Ponnappa among others.

The panel also comprises 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 September 25 this year.

The change of schedule was done because of the clash of dates with the Asian Games, which concluded on September 2 in Jakarta.