The Indian men’s badminton team, which emerged as the champion of the 2022 Thomas Cup, won the ‘National team of the year’ award at the Sportstar Aces Awards 2023 at The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel here on Monday.
Lakshya Sen, member of the winning team, received the award from former India cricket team captain Kapil Dev. Vimal Kumar, the manager of the Indian badminton team, and Lakshya’s father D.K. Sen, were also present on stage.
“Winning the Thomas Cup was a big collective effort from all team members. We can relate a lot to the 1983 Cricket World Cup team,” Lakshya said.
Lakshya also won the ‘Sportsman of the year (racquet sports)’ award, along with table tennis star Sharath Kamal.
Shyam Thapa receives his trophy from former India football skipper Bhaichung Bhutia. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
Odisha won the ‘Best State For the Promotion of Sports’ award. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik received the award.
Avinash Sable with his awards. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
“I would like to thank The Hindu Group and Sportstar magazine for this honourable award. In Odisha, we have tried to do a great deal for hockey in the last few years — in the last 15 months, we have built the largest hockey stadium in the world. We believe investment in sports is an investment in youth, and investment in youth is an investment in the future,” Patnaik said.
Jury members of the Sportstar Aces Awards with The Hindu Chairperson Malini Parthasarathy at the function. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
Shyam Thapa, regarded as one of India’s finest football strikers, received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’. Thapa was felicitated by former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia.
Thapa was part of the team which won a historic bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games.
“At 74, I’m still coaching young footballers at academies. I am still hopeful that one day, India will play in a FIFA World Cup,” Thapa said.
The 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) champion Gujarat Titans won the ‘Club of the year’ award. Arvinder Singh, Gujarat Titans Chief Operating Officer, received the award.
The jury panel was headed by legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
Star cast
Olympic gold medal-winning shooter Abhinav Bindra, former India hockey captain M.M. Somaya, chess great Viswanathan Anand, Bhutia and Olympians Anjali Bhagwat and Aparna Popat were the other members of the jury.
Corporate support
The event was supported by IDFC First Bank, Indian Oil, India Cements, United India, Ramaiah University, Experimenta Science Center, G.D. Naidu Charity, Finolex Pipes, LIC, BPCL, Samsonite, Big Basket, Nippon Paint, CRICHQ, Wordswork, NewsX and Casagrand..
Sportsman of the year (Cricket): Hardik Pandya
Sportswoman of the year (Cricket): Harmanpreet Kaur
Sportsman of the year (Track & Field): Avinash Sable
Sportswoman of the year (Track & Field): Annu Rani
Sportsman of the year (Team Sports): P.R. Sreejesh and Sunil Chhetri
Sportswoman of the year (Team Sports): Savita Punia
Sportsman of the year (Olympic Sports): Rudranksh Patil
Sportswoman of the year (Olympic Sports): Nikhat Zareen
Sportsman of the year (Racquet Sports): Lakshya Sen and Sharath Kamal
Sportswoman of the year (Racquet Sports): Dipika Pallikal Karthik
Coach of the year: Bhaskar Bhatt
Sportsman of the year (Para Sports): Rahul Jakhar
Sportswoman of the year (Para Sports): Manisha Ramadass
Best Young Achiever (Girl): Antim Panghal and Rhythm Sangwan
Best Young Achiever (Boy): D. Gukesh
Best Corporate for Promotion of Sports: JSW
Best PSU For The Promotion of Sports: ONGC
Best University For the Promotion of Sports: Jain University
Best State For the Promotion of Sports: Odisha
Best Grassroots Coach: Merzban Patel (Hockey)
Comeback of the year: Vinesh Phogat and Anwar Ali
Sportstar of the year (Male): Neeraj Chopra
Sportstar of the year (Female): Mirabai Chanu
National Team of the year: India’s Thomas Cup Team
Club of the year: Gujarat Titans
Moment of the year: India’s Thomas Cup triumph
Spirit of Sports: Nihal Sarin
Inspirational Icon: Sania Mirza
Lifetime Achievement Award: Shyam Thapa
Sports For Social Good: Project Parivartan (IOC)
