Track and field athlete K.M. Binu has been chosen as the recipient of the Olympian Award for 2017, instituted in honour of the late Olympian Suresh Babu.
The award is being presented as part of the International Olympic Day celebrations being organised by the Thiruvananthapuram District Olympic Association.
The award comprises a sum of ₹25,000 and a memento. Apart from this, T. Rajan Pothuval of Mathrubhumi is being awarded for his contribution to sports reporting, and Joby George, Sports Editor of Asianet , will be honoured for the best visual media reporting of sports. The award for the best camera (visual media) goes to Sindhukumar of Manorama Vision.
Ansar S. Raj of Kerala Kaumudi has been chosen as the best reporter, and G. Pramod of Deshabhimani, as the best photographer.
The awards will be distributed at a public conference to be held at the Central Stadium here on Friday as part of the celebrations.
Marathon and rally
Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac will flag off a marathon and rally to be held before the conference. The marathon will begin at the Kowdiar Square at 7.45 a.m.
The rally, which will see the participation of prominent athletes of the State, military, and Central paramilitary forces, police, members of Scouts, NSS, NCC, and SPC, students of the Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE), rollerskaters, and cyclists, will conclude at the Central Stadium at 8.30 a.m.
The conference will be presided over by Tourism and Cooperation Minister Kadakampally Surendran. Mayor V.K. Prasanth will be the chief guest at the event, and MLAs V. Muralidharan and V.S. Sivakumar, Kerala State Sports Council president T.P. Dasan, Olympian K.M. Beenamol, KTDC chairman M. Vijayakumar, district panchayat president V. K. Madhu, and Kerala Olympic Association president M.M. Abdul Rahman will be present.
As part of the celebrations, an inter-school sports quiz will be held at 9 a.m. on Thursday at the Central Stadium. The event is being organised in association with the State Sports Department and the Kerala State Sports Council.
