Sheetal Devi, Anmol Kharb, and Ayush Mhatre bag top honours at FICCI India Sports Awards 2024

As part of TURF 2024, the India Sports Awards 2024 were held, recognising and honouring outstanding contributions to Indian sports

• Sports Journalist of the Year (Print) – Mihir Vasavda
• Sports Journalist of the Year (Electronic) – Rica Roy

Rakesh Thapliyal

New Delhi: Paris 2024 Paralympics bronze medallist and Asian Para Games champion Sheetal Devi bagged the Sportsperson of the Year – Para award, while Mumbai domestic cricketer Ayush Mhatre and Badminton Asia Team Championship gold medallist Anmol Kharb won the Emerging Sportsperson (Male) and Emerging Sportsperson (Female) awards respectively at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2024, held at the FICCI headquarters in New Delhi.

Former captain of the Indian Women’s National Basketball Team, Raspreet Sidhu, won the Long Term Individual Contribution to Sports award.

Dr. Adille Sumariwalla, President of the Athletics Federation of India, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement of the Year award, while the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) was named National Sports Federation of the Year. Rugby India was recognised for the Best Developmental Level Work by an NSF.

In the state categories, Tamil Nadu won the Best State Promoting Sports award, while Bihar was named the Emerging State Promoting Sports.

Pro Kabaddi Season 10 winners Puneri Paltan were awarded Sports Franchise of the Year, and the Inspire Institute of Sport received the Best High Performance Sports Centre award.

Indian Oil was recognised as the Best Corporate Promoting Sports Development (Public), while GMR Sports won the Best Corporate Promoting Sports Development (Private).

In a special video message, Mr. Charu Sharma, an esteemed jury member of the India Sports Awards 2024, said, “Congratulations to all those who have won awards today. I hope this recognition will spur you on to do more for the cause of Indian sport. My commiserations to those who did not win an award despite being nominated, but we hope you will continue to work harder for the cause of sport.”

Full List of Awards:

1. Best State Promoting Sports – Tamil Nadu
2. Emerging State Promoting Sports – Bihar
3. Best Sports Manufacturer – Capapie
4. Best Sports Infrastructure Company – Great Sports
5. Best Sports Educational Institute Promoting Sports (University) – LNCPE
6. Best NGO Promoting Sports – Grassroot Shillong
7. National Sports Federation of the Year – Kho Kho Federation of India
8. Best Developmental Level Work by an NSF – Rugby India
9. Best Sports Startup – Cricheroes
10. Best Corporate Promoting Sports Development (Private) – GMR Sports
11. Best Social Media Sports Campaign – GroupM ESP
12. *Independent Production Company – Sportzworkz
13. Best Promotion of Sports (School) – Mayo College
14. Best Corporate Promoting Sports Development (Public) – Indian Oil
15. Sports Franchise of the Year – Puneri Paltan
16. Sports Broadcaster of the Year – Star Sports Network
17. Best High Performance Sports Centre – Inspire Institute of Sport
18. Emerging Sportsperson (Male) – Ayush Mhatre
19. Emerging Sportsperson (Female) – Anmol Kharb
20. Sportsperson of the Year (Para) – Sheetal Devi
21. Lifetime Achievement Award – Dr. Adille Sumariwalla
22. Sports Physiotherapist of the Year – Dr. Sumit Arora
23. Best Sports Strength and Conditioning Trainer of the Year – Dr. Pradip Dutta
24. Best Sports Psychologist of the Year – Dr. Bhawna Chauhan
25. Long Term Individual Contribution to Sports (Male) – Suman Kapur
26. Long Term Individual Contribution to Sports (Female) – Raspreet Sidhu
27. Sports Journalist of the Year (Electronic) – Rica Roy
28. Sports Journalist of the Year (Print) – Mihir Vasavda
29. Emerging Sports Entrepreneur of the Year – Suhail Chandhok.

“Work like a jigsaw puzzle to fit into the beautiful story of India”: Kunal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, as India realises its sporting vision at FICCI TURF 2024

New Delhi: Having officially bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games and establish itself as a global sports leader, India is set for an exciting era of transformation in its sports ecosystem. FICCI “TURF 2024”, 14th edition of FICCI’s Global Sports Summit, brought together sports leaders among policymakers, corporates, athletes, and global experts to highlight India’s bold aspirations and discuss strategies to realise its vision of becoming a sporting powerhouse.

Highlighting the need for unified efforts, Shri Kunal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India said, “Everyone has to work together like a jigsaw puzzle to nicely fit into the beautiful story called India.”

“No single entity—be it the government, corporates, foundations, or federations—can rise beyond a point. Even as parents and as a society, we have to ensure that the sports places around us are properly taken care of. Sports is not merely about playing and winning medals, but it’s a driver of the economy. It’s a driver of life. If you play sports, you will be happier, you will be fitter, your productivity will be higher and more so when you play, obviously you require some equipment, some support from experts and fans. So that way the whole economy will grow. Sports can become a good driver for the economy,” he further explained, while talking about the ‘Vision 20236: Making India a Powerhouse’.

Meanwhile, P.K.S.V. Sagar, Chairperson, FICCI Sports Committee & President of GMR Sports, said “I know 2036 is short but we Indians can do anything. When we can do it in other parts of the world, we can do it in our own country. So, I am a strong believer that we have the talent pool, we incline, we have a government that is so proactive, pushing us together, the corporate to go into stuff like this. We all want to come into India to help us do it.”

Rahul Bose, Director, Actor and President of Rugby India, pointed to the transformative power of ethical governance. He said, “When you build a federation on ethics, transparency, and accountability, you create financial, social, and gender inclusivity, which are vital for sustainable growth for any sport.”

Former Indian Cricket Team Captain Ajay Jadeja emphasised the role of grassroots development in building a sports culture. He said, “We sportsmen have the privilege of enjoying the fruits of all the hard work that all of you put in (federations, policymakers, corporates and government). And as a sportsman, when you are playing the sport, you really don’t understand what goes into sport. I feel the foundational focus is essential to nurturing any sport, maybe it’s something that’s been overlooked. And like, with educated people, you understand this better: unless you learn the alphabet, how would you make a word, how would you make a sentence and how would you go on to get educated? So I think grassroots is that alphabet of the sport.”

Table tennis star Manika, who was also present at the occasion lauded the government’s efforts while calling for greater corporate. She said, “The backing we receive today from the government and sports ministry allows us to focus entirely on our performance and it has helped us make our country proud. I feel If we also get support from the corporate sector, that would be really good.”

Harvinder Singh, Paralympic medallist, reflected on societal progress in embracing differently-abled athletes and how it is contributing to India’s dream of becoming the global powerhouse. “We often talk about the inclusion of society, and I think in the last few years, the mindset of people has changed. We are accepted and recognised. Parents now actively support their children, bringing them to training grounds and waiting for them outside. This shift has significantly expanded India’s Paralympic contingent and results.”

ENDS

Sports leaders among policymakers, corporates, athletes, and global experts had gathered together for the FICCI “TURF 2024”, 14th edition of FICCI’s Global Sports Summit, to highlight India’s bold aspirations and discuss strategies to realise its vision of becoming a sporting powerhouse.