Experts debate decision to award BC Suresh and Sakshi Kumari National Sports Awards

Rohit Baliyan and Preetam Chhillar disagreed with the personnel chosen for the awards.

The Arjuna Awards and the Dhyan Chand Lifetime achievement awards were announced recently. From Kabaddi, BC Suresh (Lifetime) and Sakshi Kumari (Arjuna) were nominated. They will be conferred the awards by the President of India on November 30, 2022.

However, Khel Now Experts were not convinced in handing over the awards to the respective coaches/players mentioned above. Rohit Baliyan said, " There are many who are deservingly waiting to get the awards. One of them is Randhir Singh Sehrawat, who is the present coach of the Bengaluru Bulls.

"Randhir Singh has produced many talents from the grassroots and is the only coach to represent the same franchise for nine long successive years.

"On the other hand, there is one prominent athlete named Doli from the same state as Sakshi Kumari (Haryana) who should have been given the preference. Also if the committee had given the award to his brother BC Ramesh it would have been better."

Preetam Chillar iterated that "BC Suresh was not the deserving candidate to win the award this time. There are much waiting ahead of him and also he hasn't produced that many players that many others have produced. Randhir Singh Sehrawat has produced many players, who are at their peak, like Pawan Sehrawat and now Bharat to name a few”.

Mohit Chillar said ”It is up to the committee appointed by the Central Government who take the final decision regarding the awards. If it was the Kabaddi Federation then we could have questioned but since it is coming from the centre there is nothing much to argue.”