Rana up for Dronacharya

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune news service

New Delhi, August 17

Jaspal Rana will get the Dronacharya award this year. The former shooter, who has been looking after the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) junior programme, had knocked on the doors of the Delhi High Court after last year’s snub.

However, unlike last year, both Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary backed Rana’s application this time, paving the way for the committee to confirm his name for the award. Former hockey player and coach of the junior men’s team Jude Felix too has found favours for the award.

In the lifetime category, former tennis player and Davis Cup captain Naresh Kumar and archery coach Dharmendra Tiwari have been recommended by the committee.

Surprisingly, this year the committee has recommended 13 names for the Dronacharya award in the regular and lifetime categories and 15 names for the Dhyanchand award. As per the awards scheme, the committee can recommend three names for the Dhyanchand award and five, including two in the lifetime category, for the Dronacharya award.

Former women’s chief coach Shiv Singh and OP Dahiya, who runs the Partap Singh Memorial School in Kharkhoda, Haryana, too have been recommended in the lifetime category.

Former India coach Sukhvinder Singh Sandhu, former hockey player Gaganajit Singh’s father and coach Ajit Singh and late Sachin Nag, who won India its first ever swimming gold at the 1951 Asian Games have been nominated for the Dhyanchand award.

Panjab University to get MAKA award

Chandigarh’s Panjab University will get the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy for best all-round performance in sports. The university had won the award last year after a gap of 13 years.