CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: On the occasion of National Sports Day, Rabindranath Tagore University (RNTU) organized the RNTU Sports Achievers Award 2024 ceremony at Kushabhau Thakre Convention Center to honor the state’s talents. Speaking as the keynote speaker, Ravi Kumar Gupta, Director of Sports and Youth Welfare Department of Madhya Pradesh, emphasized that athletes should take sports as seriously as any degree program, work hard, and strive for excellence. Just as one reaches a good position through academic studies, one can also achieve high positions through excellent performance in sports.
During the event, RNTU players were honored with the Sports Achievers Award for bringing glory to the nation and the state at national and international levels. A total of 95 players across various sports disciplines including men’s and women’s hockey, sailing, judo, shooting, athletics, boxing, taekwondo, wrestling, rowing, karate, kayaking-canoeing, fencing, and badminton were awarded a total of ₹24.6 lakhs. The event was graced by distinguished guests including Santosh Choubey, Chancellor of Rabindranath Tagore University, Dr. Siddharth Chaturvedi, Chancellor of SCOPE Global Skills University, former Olympian Ashok Dhyanchand, Abhishek Chauhan, Regional Director of the Sports Authority of India, BJP State Vice President Pankaj Joshi, Prof. Chancellor Dr. Aditi Chaturvedi Vats, and RNTU Registrar Dr. Vijay Singh.
Dr. Siddharth Chaturvedi, Chancellor of SCOPE Global Skills University, welcomed all the guests and informed them about the initiatives taken by Rabindranath Tagore University for the welfare of students and the promotion of sports. He also mentioned that the university is preparing infrastructure with the aim of organizing Khelo India University Games.
Santosh Choubey, Chancellor of Rabindranath Tagore University, highlighted the importance of sports in life and stated that continuous efforts are being made to promote sports at the university. He praised Olympian and hockey player Vivek Sagar and congratulated him on being appointed as the vice-captain of the Indian hockey team. He also announced the creation of a ₹1 crore corpus for sports at the university and mentioned the provision of several scholarships and fellowships.
Former Olympian Ashok Dhyanchand appreciated RNTU’s intention to host the Khelo India University Games and encouraged schools, colleges, and universities in the state to advance with this vision and purpose. He also called on the industry to support sports through CSR activities, sponsorships, and other collaborations.
Abhishek Chauhan, Regional Director of the Sports Authority of India, congratulated all the athletes and praised the efforts of the AISECT group. RNTU Registrar Dr. Vijay Singh delivered a vote of thanks and wished the athletes continued excellence in their future endeavors.
During the event, RNTU students were honored with the RNTU Sports Achievers Award. Vivek Sagar from the men’s hockey team was awarded ₹5 lakhs for bringing international recognition to the country. His parents accepted the honor on his behalf. Additionally, Ali, Saddam, Arham, Shreyas, Ankit, Sundaram, Vaibhav, Abhay, Swapnil, Shailendra, Amid, Himanshu, Deepak, Adesh, Satyam, Avneesh, Akshay, Abhijit, and Love were honored for representing RNTU at the Khelo India University Games.
In sailing, Neha Thakur, Sheetal, Nancy, and Vidyanshi were honored with prize money. The women’s hockey team was recognized for winning silver at the Khelo India Youth Games and for their participation in the Khelo India University Games 2023. In judo, Himanshi, Shruti, Shraddha, Monica, and Jagrati were honored. In shooting, Harshit, Mansi, Amit, Yakub, Nupur, and Jyotiraditya were recognized. In athletics, Ekta De, Sonam Parmar, Manisha, Aman, and Gaurav were honored. In boxing, Jigyasa, Himanshu, Ayush, Muskaan, Menka, Malika, Vinti, and Divya were recognized. In taekwondo, Madhu and Shivani were honored. In wrestling, Priyanshi, Hariom, and Chhaya were recognized. In rowing, Jyoti, Manisha, Aman, Arvind, and Raghav were honored. In women’s karate, Prema, Vaishali, and Bhavna were recognized. In men’s kayaking-canoeing, Vishal Kevat was honored. In men’s fencing, Mohit, Shankar, Saurabh, Bhavya, and Anju were recognized. In men’s badminton, Himanshu, Prakhar, Vinay, Akshay, Yashpal, Shishir, and Krishna were honored.
