With a PPE gear over her sari, the captain of the women’s hockey team, Rani Rampal, left the national camp in Bengaluru in the morning for the center designated by the Sports Authority of India to collect her Khel Ratna. That was the setting at nine different centers in various cities, where 60 of the 74 award winners came together to receive their awards virtually through President Ram Nath Kovind.
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The National Sports and Adventure Awards have been organized practically this year due to the pandemic and the award winners had to take the COVID test before the ceremony. This year, five unprecedented Khel Ratna Awards have been announced: cricketer Rohit Sharma, women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal, world championship bronze medalist Vinesh Phogat, Commonwealth Games champion Manika Batra and the para-athlete Mariyappan Thangavelu. Rampal and Thangavelu attended the ceremony in Bengaluru. Manika Batra joined from Pune. Vinesh tested positive for COVID on Friday and will have to skip the award ceremony. Rohit Sharma will also miss out, as he is in the UAE for the Indian Premier League. The prizes will be awarded later. In addition to five Khel Ratna, 27 Arjuna laureates are on the honor roll this year.
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“I am very excited and happy to have been awarded the Khel Ratna. I thank Minister of Sports Kiren Rijiju and Hockey India for recommending my name. It’s a great honor for a female hockey player, ”said Rampal, who became the first female hockey player to receive the nation’s highest sporting honor: Khel Ratna.
“I know that due to COVID we have to take all safety precautions. For any athlete it is a very good feeling to go to the president’s house and receive the award. It is a different experience and feeling this time, but nothing can be done, due to this pandemic, all these steps are necessary, “he said.
In total, 14 of the 74 winners will not be able to attend the function for different reasons. Four of them will not receive the award due to testing positive for COVID. It includes Vinesh and her coach OP Dahiya, the winner of Dronacharya, who were scheduled to participate in the award ceremony of downtown Sonepat, and the ferry Satwiksairak Rankireddy, who has been awarded the Arjuna prize. The most tragic incident was the death of former Indian athletics coach Purushotham Rai, who passed away from a heart attack in Bangalore on Friday. Rai, 79, received the Dronacharya award and was also part of Friday’s dress rehearsal. He died of a massive heart attack hours before the ceremony.
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On Saturday, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju also announced the upgrade of prize money in four of the seven categories of the National Sports and Adventure Awards.
The prize money for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award has been increased to Rs 25 lakh from the previous amount of Rs 7.5 lakh, the Arjuna Award has been upgraded to Rs 15 lakh from Rs 5 lakh, Dhronacharya (Lifetime) winners, which were previously given Rs 5 lakh will now receive Rs 15 lakh as a cash prize, while Dhronacharya (Regular) will receive Rs 10 lakh instead of Rs 5 lakh per awarded. Dhyanchand Awardees will be given Rs 10 lakh instead of Rs 5 lakh.
“Prize money for sports awards was last reviewed in 2008. These amounts must be reviewed at least once every 10 years. If professionals in all fields have seen an improvement in their earnings, why not our athletes? ”Said Rijiju, who paid tribute to hockey legend Major Dhyan in Chand on the anniversary of his birth, which is celebrated as National Sports Day.
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