Rio Olympics silver medallist P.V. Sindhu was named the ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ and former India off-spinner N. Shivlal Yadav was given the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the award function of Telangana Sports Journalists’ Association for the year 2016 here on Saturday.
Telangana Sports Minister T. Padma Rao Goud presented the ‘Best Team of 2016’ award to Sunrisers Hyderabad, which won the last year’s IPL. Team mentor V.V.S. Laxman along with P. Kiran, head of Gemini TV of Sun Network, received it.
The ‘Best Senior Male Sportsperson’ for the year was given to Hyderabad Ranji fast bowler Mohd Siraj. Former All England champion Pullela Gopi Chand was given the ‘Best Coach of the Year’ award and on his behalf, his wife and former Olympian P.V. Lakshmi received it.
Since Sindhu was also in Delhi for the India Open, her mother Vijaya received the award on her behalf. Tennis star Sania Mirza was named the ‘Best Senior Female Sportsperson’ and her mother Nasima Mirza received the award.
Dronavalli Harika (chess), S. Appoorwa (carrom), Jwala Gutta (badminton) and Mithali Raj (cricket) were named the ‘Best Women Achievers’.
Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Laxman felt the sports media was an extended family for any athlete. “The sports media is known for selfless service over the years. But for them, a Sania, a Saina, or a Sindhu wouldn’t be what they are now,” he said.
B.V. Papa Rao, Advisor to Telangana Government, stressed on the importance of sports being ‘clean’. “The junior section is the worst when it comes to use of banned substances. We need to have a clean system to achieve results and match the world standards,” he said.
The other awardees include: Siril Verma (badminton) receive Best Junior (Male); Gayathri Gopichand (badminton) and Soumya (football)- Best Junior (Female); Gitanjali (rowing)- Most Promising Sportsperson; Ruthvika Shivani (badminton)- Young Achiever; Telangana Badminton Association receives Best Association; Telangana State Sports School given School of the Year for Excellence in Sports; Mohd Saleem (freelance photographer)- Contributor of the Year; SP Misra (tennis), Syed Arif (badminton), Norman Isaac (basketball)- Outstanding Contribution to Sports.
