Former India hockey coach Rajinder Singh is delighted that the Dronacharya Award has been conferred on him.

"I am pleased that I have been awarded the Dronacharya award," he said on Thursday.

The former coach of India's Junior World Cup-winning team and member of the Moscow Olympics gold medal-winning team was sacked by the Indian Hockey Federation a few weeks before the Athens Olympics and was replaced by German coach Gerhard Rach. India finished a poor seventh in the Olympic hockey tournament.

Refusing to say anything on the Arjuna awards or India's showing in the Olympics, Rajinder said, "I will speak to the media only after I receive my award from the President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, on September 21."

According to sources close to Rajinder, he is upset about the flak he received in the media in recent weeks. He is particularly sore about a headline in The Hindustan Times on Thursday which said 'Sacked Coach gets Dronacharya'.

"An attempt is being to made by some sports scribes to single out Rajinder and humiliate him," said a sympathizer of the coach.