Seven sportspersons awarded Padma Shri on Republic Day

Last updated on February 6th, 2021 at 09:01 am

TT player Mouma Das, Wrestler Virender Singh among seven sportspersons to be awarded Padma Shri

On the occasion of 72nd Republic Day, the Union Government on Monday announced the winners of the prestigious Padma awards across all categories. This year, the government has awarded the Padma Shri to seven sportspersons from the Indian sports fraternity.

Veteran table tennis player Mouma Das and former captain of the Indian women’s basketball team P Anitha are among the seven sportspersons who were awarded the Padma Shri – the fourth highest civilian award of the country. Known for coaching athletics legend PT Usha, 1985 Dronacharya awardee Madhavan Nambiar has also been awarded the Padma Shri in the sports category.

Here is the list of Padma Shri awardees in the sports category for this year:

• Mouma Das (table tennis)
• Sudha Hari Narayan Singh (athletics)
• P Anitha (basketball)
• Anshu Jamsenpa (mountaineering)
• KY Venkatesh (para-athlete)
• Virender Singh (wrestling in deaf category)
• Madhavan Nambiar (athletics coach)

An Arjuna Award recipient, Das is the second table tennis player to win the Padma Shri after Achanta Sharath Kamal who won the recognition in 2019. Another Arjuna awardee, Sudha Singh has won two gold and four silver medals while representing India at various editions of continental championships and Asian Games. Leading mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa emerged as the world’s first woman to scale Mount Everest twice in one season. Para-athlete KY Venkatesh was won his name in the Limca Book of Records in 2005 after he bagged the maximum number of medals in the 2005 World Dwarf Games. 

Every year, the Home Ministry announces the names of the Padma Shri award winners on the eve of Republic Day, January 25. The recipients are felicitated by the President of India at ceremonial functions at Rashtrapati Bhawan in March/April. 

This year, President Ram Nath Kovind has conferred a total of 119 Padma Awards under the three categories – 7 Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan, and 102 Padma Shri Awards. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took to Twitter to congratulate the Padma awardees, saying that the country is proud of the contributions made by those who have been conferred the high-ranking honor. He further added that these exceptional individuals coming from different walks of life have made significant changes in the lives of other people across the country. 

“We are proud of all those who have been conferred the Padma Awards. India cherishes their contribution to the nation and humanity at large. These exceptional individuals from different walks of life have brought qualitative changes in the lives of others,” PM Modi said in his tweet.