Bajrang Punia, Elavenil Valarivan bag Sportsperson of the Year awards by FICCI

Tokyo bound athletes Bajrang Punia and Elavenil Valarivan on Tuesday bagged the top honors at the virtually held FICCI India Sports Awards 2020 on the back of the 10th Global Sports Summit: FICCI Turf 2020.

After an impressive 2019-2020 season, the two athletes bagged the Sportsperson of the Year award in their respective categories.

में @ficci_india तह दिल से शुक्रिया करता हूँ की आपने मुझे इस अवार्ड से सम्मानित किया । में उम्मीद करता हूँ की यह अवार्ड मुझे आने वाले प्रतियोगिता में प्रेरित करेगा । 🙏🏽🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/W3M2Kvo2Kk

— Bajrang Punia 🇮🇳 (@BajrangPunia) December 10, 2020

“I would like to thank the jury and FICCI for having given me this recognition. My aim in the future will again be to give my best and win lots of medals for the country. Such recognitions motivate me to keep doing well, and it gives me huge joy. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate all the other winners,” said Punia who is currently training at the United States of America.

“I would like to thank my family first for standing by me, my mentor Gagan Narang and my coach Neha Chauhan for always believing in me. I will also to the National Rifle Shooting Association of India (NRAI) for always supporting and pushing us through all our hard times, and also the Sports Authority of India for making sure that we are equipped with everything we need. I would also like to express my gratitude towards my state Gujarat, and would just like to say that it is a great honor for me to be receiving

this award,” said Valarivan.

On the other hand, former Indian cricketer and coach received the ‘Best Company promoting sports (Private)’ award on the behalf of his enterprise Tenvic Sports.

Meanwhile, Yashodhara Raje Scindia (Hon’ble Minister, Department of Sports & Youth Welfare, Technical Education, Skill Development & Employment, Govt of Madhya Pradesh), Onkarmal Kedia (Director General, Sports Authority of Assam) and former badminton player Pullela Gopichand were also present to receive their respective awards.

The FICCI sports awards are an attempt by the FICCI to acknowledge and recognise the contribution of sportspersons and various stakeholders who deliver excellent results throughout the year.

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