Another first by Indian sport’s First Couple

The government’s annual sports awards are likely to bring good news for India’s current top sporting couple: while Anju Bobby Geor...

The government’s annual sports awards are likely to bring good news for India’s current top sporting couple: while Anju Bobby George will receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, husband-coach Bobby George gets the Dronacharya Award. Probably the first time ever a couple will receive awards in the same year.

And Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore will receive the Arjuna award, though the National Rifle association of India had recommended his name for the Khel Ratna as well. Reason: The awards are based on last year’s performance, Rathore won his silver last month.

‘‘We have not taken Rathore’s Olympics performance this year into consideration because these awards are for performance in the previous years,’’ said a member. So the ace marksman will probably be the only contender for the Khel Ratna award next year.

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The names of winners of the awards, to be given away by President APJ Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan on September 21, are in the final stages of fine-tuning. Sports Minister Sunil Dutt, who has been camping in Mumbai, has already cleared the list and it is expected to be made public on Wednesday.

The two committees to decide on the Khela Ratna, Dronacharya, Arjuna and Major Dhyan Chand awards, based on the performance of athletes in previous years, have stuck to the brief given by the Sports Ministry.

Last year, the committee headed by P.K. Banerjee exceeded the brief and nominated more numbers putting the ministry in a fix.

For the Drona- charya awardees, the committee has recommended four names: Robert Bobby George, sacked hockey coach Rajinder Singh, Anup Kumar (who coached woman boxer Mary Com) and wrestler Palwinder Singh Cheema’s father, Sukhchain Singh Cheema.

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The list of Arjuna awardees includes Rathore, hockey players Devesh Chauhan, Deepak Thakur and Surajlata Devi, athlete Madhuri Singh and cricketer Harbhajan Singh.

While Anju and Madhuri Singh can feel elated, there will be heartbreaks for high jumper Bobby Aloysius and athlete Soma Biswas.

Though the Athletics Federation of India recommended their names for the Arjuna awards, the committee has not considered them. Similarly, discus thrower Anil Kumar’s name was not considered.