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"There cannot be a more disappointing thing than this. Abhinav achieved which no Indian could do in the last 108 years and for that he deserves at least Padma Vibhushan," said IOA General Secretary Randhir Singh.
Abhinav, who fetched the first-ever individual Olympic gold medal in 108 years of India's Olympic history, has been given Padma Bhushan for his historic feat in the men's 10 metre air rifle shooting event at the Beijing Games.
"Boxer Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar, who won bronze medals in the Beijing Games, were completely ignored. You expect sportspersons to bring glory to the country but you don't encourage them. It downgrades the position of the sportspersons. What more can the two poor chaps do to get the award?" he wondered.
"We are hosting Commonwealth Games in 2010 and we also eye the Olympic Games after that and we are trying hard to become a sporting nation but I am sorry to say it won't serve our purpose," he added.
Indian Amateur Boxing Federation General Secretary Colonel Muralidharan Raja also felt strongly about the issue as he described Vijender missing out on the honour as "unfortunate".
"It's really very unfortunate. In the 104 years of Indian boxing in Olympics, there is not a single medal to our credit. But Vijender did it and he also defeated the best boxers of the previous Olympics en route his bronze medal. It's no mean feat," Col Raja said.
"When all the previous Olympic medal winners like Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore have been given Padma award, why should he be left out," he said.
Wrestling national coach PR Sondhi echoed similar sentiments. "I think it was injustice on the government's part to neglect Sushil and Vijender for the Padma awards. They deserved the awards more than the cricketers.
"Sushil and Vijender won Olympic medals in disciplines which are being played by over 150 countries while cricket is only played by a handful of nations," said Sondhi.
Vijender and Sushil Kumar have already expressed their disappointment at being overlooked for the Padma awards.
Abhinav surprised at Padma discrimination
India's first individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra on Tuesday expressed surprise at Beijing Games bronze medal winners Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar being left out of the list of Padma awardees.
"I am really surprised," Abhinav said.
"Initially, they were recognised by the government. I have no idea what the criteria are (for the Padma awards) but we as a nation need to support our Olympic athletes whether in victory or defeat because they will only bring us the global recognition in the field of sports," he said.
"We need to encourage our Olympic athletes," he added. Abhinav, who fetched the first-ever individual Olympic gold medal in 108 years of India's Olympic history, has been was honoured with Padma Bhushan for his historic feat in the men's 10 metre air rifle shooting event at the Beijing Games.
But boxer Vijender and wrestler Sushil were ignored as five sportspersons, including cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh, were in the list of 93 eminent Padma awardees.
In Beijing, Indian contingent for the first time won three Olympic medals. Vijender won the first ever boxing medal for the country while Sushil was only the second Indian grappler after Kasaba Jadhav (bronze in Helsinki Olympics) to fetch a medal in wrestling.
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When a cricketer whose claim to fame is more due to the slapgate and monkeygate incidents, when an actress who is more famous only on account of her surname and not because of her on screen activities, these boxers/wrestlers who brought fame to the country should not feel slighted at being left out of the list of awardees and thank their stars for not sharing the platform alongside these "stars"
The whole procedure for getting an award indicates that if you are good at shouting abuses at your opponent or slapping your team-mate you stand a higher chance to win the Padma Vibhushan.
for not recognising our true heroes.
this absolutely fraud and Indian politics are like that.These people get the medas with recommendations and support from political dramas.Ash got the award on what basis, only with support from politicians and so many like that.Actually these 3 chaps should be given the medals.Forget about it Abhinav, sushil and vijendar.Nonsense .India politics are degrading.
Hope now stupid Amitabh might have commented"If we get good, not better". Family of crooks. Indian people should stop watching their useless movies
it is unfortunate that both Vijender and Sushil Kumar,who made us hold our heads high during the last Olympics,have been ignored for the PADMA awards at the expense of DHONI and Harbhajan Singh,who are professional sportsmen,earning high match fees as well as rich endorsements and so called represent the country in a sport which is a NON OLYMPIC EVENT.If the Sports Ministry is not keen on develping other sports they should withdraw participation of our sportsmen in all International events and convert existing training facilities into commercial ventures.
yes. padma awards are wrought with politics, but this year's nominations really surprised me and is an icing on the favouritismic cake. This year's list proves that to get a top national award you just need to be in the good books of the ruling politicians. I always thought that these awards are given (at least padma shree) based on what the recipient has done for the country. What has aishwarya or akshay sacrificed for the country? they just have entertained us for money, acting being their profession. dhoni no doubt deserves khel ratna or arjuna awards, but what has he sacrificed for the country that he is being given a padma shree? if these are justified, then even indian citizen who works for a living needs to be given a padma shree...
Its sad that people who has really contributed are not recognised. The awards are given based on the gains the ruling party gets for Example Nirmala did to India ? They have converted people to christanity with there money power. There are several people who are rendering service to the community irrespective of there background, These people has to be recognised. The ruling party is only trying to please its president and the foriegn community by giving awards to people like Nirmala.
Awards to me looks like PR initiative of the government. Feat of Olympians like Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar deserve full recognition from the country but sadly ignored. I wonder how a person with bad track of on and off field behaviour get the top honour. It looks like BCCI is lobbying the government on this too.
It required the clout of Amar Singh to get a Padma Shri for Aishwarya Rai Bachhan. There is a lesson to be learnt here. Without political pull and push these awards are not given. Unfortunately our sportsmen and women have no godfathers
these sports persons didnt knew politicians upclose, so no padmas for them! simple! isnt it true?
The National Wrestling Coach has put it perfectly. We actually reward underperformers. We are rewarding sportsmen who come in 2nd in a filed of 9 while disregarding those who come in 2nd and 3rd in a field of 150. Is it then a surprise that we as a sporting nation are so pathetic. Will it ever improve if the top spots of our sporting bodies are continued to be occupied by career politicians? Isnt it time to remedy the situation and get reputed administrators and ex prefessional sportsment to run such prestigious bodies such as the Olympic body?
Once again, it has been substantiated that the Padma awards are wrought with politics. The incentive and inspiration these awards are expected to generate in the recepients has evaopated in thin air. On the contrary, it seems that they generate disppointment and frustration among the recepients. Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar have been completely ignored. The awards seem to have become an annual political ritual.
Due to this stupid politics , Morarjibhai had abolished these awards.
He was a high headed man. He had abolished so many things for the heck of it and hugged so many other odd ones, too. Know what I mean?
Sports is for the future of Indian Youth! Vijender and Sushil Kumar should have won Padma bhushan awards from the President if the concerned authorities have little of foresight into the future of our youth. Instead of smoking indoors and incubating the files in front of them for months together, what can we expect from such award committees? I do not say all of them are redtape holders, but there are a sizeable number who are like white elephants. Indian public and the press should live upto the hopes of Indian youth by organising encouraging events for all of them.Regards, Thomas Athappilly
It's unfortunate that Govt has not honored the sports men for their achievement at Olympics. However, it was rather disappointing that players to go public and express their views. Sports men should never play a game to make money or win laurels, if they do so than it defeats the purpose.The present generation sportsman lack the spirit of sportsmanship!
This is ridiculous. Abhinav did well and a Padma Bushan at the outset is quite adequate. Sachin has to wait after establishing over 20 years as the best batsman in the world. Abhinav can wait
Padma awards should be for all deserving citizens of India without any discrimination. There should be only three types - one a gallantry award, one Padma award and one Bharat ratna award. Three or more layers are not needed at all. One layer is good enough and the citizen who has attained once shall look forward to get Bharat Ratna.
Randhir Singh is unnecessaruly playing politics. Whatever the Govt done is correct.
The present government is goofing big time. So all you need to do go far and wide and get these corrupt leaders out of power. Who cares about train every government can do that may be better but now we had enough. How can you expect respect or honor from dishonorable Congress. The idiot Sonia and her jehadi puppets and that Mrs. Patil is neither less. She is corrupt big time. Let's start a nation wide stir against the government who has not done anything against our enemy who walk in and out fearlessly. We as citizens of India need to protect our freedom and rights and kick their asses and it better be clean bowled this time. Enough of corrupt people to dictate us.
.....Bindra by his family to the sportsperson training under them. The gold medal won by Abinav Bindra was more of a gold medal for the Bindra family than to the Indian nation. We hear of stories of innumerable sportsperson not able to participate in games because of lack of sponsorship. Unless the government’s thinking is revamped drastically, India will never outshine in the sports field.
The sports policy followed by the Government of India is flawed one. Cricket is promoted at the expense of other games even though only a handful of nation play cricket. It is really surprising and irritating that our media, both print and visual, also give much much more importance to cricket that any other sports. Cricketers making centuries becomes the top story in the news. It is covered both in the main news section and also in the sports section. While India winning junior badminton championship finds a mention only in the sports section. The Padma award distribution also conveys the same tale. Is Dhoni, Harbhajan and their like’s contribution more than Vijender and Sushil to Indian sports. Or does Indian sports only mean cricket? Many of us believe that Bindra’s Olympic Gold Medal was a personal achievement. The sports department of Government of India cannot even think of providing the kind of support, training, equipment and infrastructure given to Abhinav.....
People who decide the 'Honor's are certainly from the Planet of Apes. They deserved to be sent to the Planet of Apes
Dear Edior,There can not be worse example of neglect than this.How could the sports ministry could not remember a person who made a history by his own efforts without any help from the MInistry.It is necessary that the situation is corrected without delay.At the sanme time,some heads must roll for suc
These idiots sitting in AC rooms don't know how much of a hard work goes behind winning a medal. All the can see is the pomp, peagentry and praise the cricketers get just to win a match against any of JUST EIGHT teams that play in this whole world.
Words are not enough to describe the agony when deserving candidates are overlooked. These Olympians have been training in most demanding circumstances, it is the minimum the government can do ! I say sorry for to you people for electing such miserable public servants.
I totally agree with the writer of this column. When are Indians get over with the Cricket fever? Have they realised how much these cricket "stars" earn a year? Cricket is a curse for our country-it killed litrally all other sports. Look at China with more or less equal population. Where they are and where we stand? On top of this the current discrimination will only exasberate the sad feeling by other sportspersons in our country. God bless all the sportspersons in India.