Nominees for Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dhyanchand and Dronacharya Award declared; Keralites Mohammed Anas, Vimal Kumar and Manuel Fredricks in list

NEW DELHI: The Selection Committee for sports awards 2019 on Saturday nominated the names of various sportspersons for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, Dhyanchand Award, Dronacharya Award.

Here is the complete list of names recommended by the committee.

For Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award: Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia and Rio Paralympics silver medallist Deepa Malik.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award is given for the spectacular and outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years.

For Arjuna award: Ravindra Jadeja (cricket), Poonam Yadav (cricket), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (athletics), Mohammed Anas Yahiya (athletics), S Bhaskaran (bodybuilding), Sonia Lather (boxing), Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (hockey), Ajay Thakur (Kabaddi), Gaurav Singh Gill (motorsports), Pramod Bhagat (para-sports, badminton), Anjum Moudgil (shooting), Harmeet Rajul Desai (table tennis), Pooja Dhanda (wrestling), Fouaad Mirza (Equestrian), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (football), Swapna Barman (athletics), Sundar Singh Gurjar (para-sports, athletics), Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth (badminton), Simran Singh Shergill (polo).

Arjuna Award is an honour bestowed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in order to recognise the achievement of athletes.

For Dhyanchand award: Manuel Fredricks (hockey), Arup Basak (table tennis), Manoj Kumar (wrestling), Nitten Kirrtane (tennis), C Lalremsanga (archery).

Dhyanchand award is presented to sportspersons for their lifetime achievements and contribution to sport during both their active career and following retirement.

For Dronacharya award: Vimal Kumar (badminton), Sandeep Gupta (table tennis), Mohinder Singh Dhillon (athletics) are the recommended names in regular category. Whereas, in the life-time category, Merzban Patel (Hockey), Rambir Singh Khokhar (kabaddi), Sanjay Bhardwaj (cricket) have been selected.

The Dronacharya honour is given for excellence in sports coaching.