National sports awardees to meet PM Modi on Sunday

Sports Ministry on Monday announced the list of awardees, which include Sindhu, Sakshi, gymnast Dipa Karmakar and shooter Jitu rai

Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel on Saturday said that this year's nominees for the National Sports awards, including Rio Olympics medallists — shuttler P V Sindhu and wrestler Sakshi Malik — will call on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, a day before the awards will be distributed by the President Pranab Mukherjee.

"Olympics medallists, Khel Ratan, Dronacharaya, Arjuna, DhyanChand & Tenzing Norgay National Adventure awardees to meet PM @narendramodi ji tomorrow," Goel tweeted.

The Sports Ministry on Monday announced the list for this year's awardees, which include Sindhu, Sakshi along with gymnast Dipa Karmakar and shooter Jitu rai.

 

Sindhu scripted history by winning the silver in women's singles badminton while Sakshi took the bronze in women's freestyle 58 kilogram category.

Dipa finished fourth in artistic gymnastics at the Rio Games.

Dipa's coach Bisheshwar Nandi has been selected for the Dronacharya award along with Team India skipper Virat Kohli's coach Raj Kumar Sharma, athletics coach Nagapuri Ramesh and boxing coach Sagar Mal Dhayal.

Star cricketer Ajinkya Rahane will be conferred the Arjuna Award alongside archer Rajat Chauhan, athlete Lalita Babar, cueist Sourav Kothari, boxer Shiva Thapa, footballer Subrata Paul, hockey stars V R Raghunath and Rani Rampal, shooters Gurpreet Singh, Apurvi Chandela, paddler Somyajit Ghosh, wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Amit Kumar, Para-athletes Sandeep Singh Maan and Virender Singh.

Athlete Satti Geetha will be conferred the Dhayan Chand award along with hockey player Sylvanus Dung Dung and rower Rajendra Pralhad Shelke.