Dhanraj, others will miss Arjuna awards function

With India's leading sportspersons busy preparing for the the Sydney Olympic Games, this year's Arjuna awards function will probably be marked by absenteeism.

Mercurial striker Dhanraj Pillay, who is with the Indian hockey team at the western Australian suburb of Murwillinbah, is to receive highest award in sports - the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. However, his mother Andal Amma will receive it on his behalf from President K R Narayanan at the Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi on Tuesday.

The function will be the highlight of the national sports day, celebrated to coincide with the birth anniversary of hockey wizard Dhyan Chand.

Distance runner Gulab Chand and thrower Gurmeet Kaur are away in Jakarta participating in the Asian Track and Field athletic meet while men's national badminton champion Pullela Gopichand, who moved to career-high world ranking of 17, is in Bangalore though he is likely to turn up for the function.

Interestingly, no cricketers figure in the list of awardees for the year 1999, a sad commentary on the current plight of the most popular game in the country.

Midfielder Ramandeep Singh, the captain of hockey team, will also be missing, leaving the field a depleted one.

Given the situation, swimmer Nisha Millet and pugilists Gurcharan Singh and Jitender Kumar - all headed for Sydney - will be the star attractions at the ceremony.

Sadly, Dronacharya awardee Hawa Singh, who won back-to- back Asian Games gold medals in 1966 and 1970, will also be missed, as the boxer died in Bhiwani earlier this month.

As the nation celebrates Sports Day, 14 sportspersons will be conferred the Arjuna Awards, three coaches will receive the Dronacharya award and one the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.

Also, eight persons will be felicitated with 'Life Time Arjuna awards'. They include former hockey Olympian Haripal Kaushik.

The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad trophy for the best university in all-round performance in sports will be presented to Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. The award carries a rolling trophy and cash prize of Rs one lakh which will be utilised for acquiring sports equipment.

The Sports Authority of India has lined up several competitions in different disciplines in Delhi and across the country to mark the occasion.

Besides mass runs and competitions in hockey, football, basketball at various centres, the SAI will conduct the National Handball championship (August 28-31) in Imphal.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Society and Indian Hockey Federation are organising a benefit match for ailing Olympian Joginder Singh Gindi to raise funds for his treatment. The match will be played between Army XI and Railways XI at the National Stadium on Tuesday.