Bhubaneswar: Sports Science India (SSI), based in Odisha, honored Olympic weightlifting medallist Karnam Malleswari and former Indian football team captain Bruno Coutinho with lifetime achievement awards during a grand ceremony held at Kalinga Stadium on Saturday. The accolades were bestowed upon Olympian Malleswari and football star Coutinho in the presence of Odisha’s Deputy Chief Minister […]
Bhubaneswar: Sports Science India (SSI), based in Odisha, honored Olympic weightlifting medallist Karnam Malleswari and former Indian football team captain Bruno Coutinho with lifetime achievement awards during a grand ceremony held at Kalinga Stadium on Saturday.
The accolades were bestowed upon Olympian Malleswari and football star Coutinho in the presence of Odisha’s Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, SSI founder Dr Sarthak Patnaik, and SNM group director Prabodh Mohanty at the Tennis Auditorium of Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
During her speech, Malleswari remarked, “The government is currently prioritizing sports science. However, this was not the case in the past. We didn’t have access to qualified physiotherapists back then. The doctors at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) often recommended ineffective medications. Nowadays, athletes are seeking treatment abroad for better care. Unfortunately, it is not feasible for athletes from grassroots levels to travel overseas for medical assistance. SSI can offer that service locally,” commending the state’s premier sports medicine and rehabilitation center.
“In our era, we lacked many facilities but played with the spirit of winning. Today’s players seem to be focused on financial gain, which has hindered the country’s sports achievements,” Coutinho expressed after accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Regarding the current state of football in India, he stated, “Football still needs to develop and establish its foothold in the country. We won’t see meaningful progress unless players perform with genuine passion.”
In addition, numerous athletes were recognized by SSI in various categories during the event held yesterday.
This year, the SSI Karna award was given to swimmer Aneesh S Gowda, Arjuna award-winning weightlifter Sathish Sivalingam, Odia cyclist Swasti Singh, racer Aditya Thakur, sprinters Sandeep Kumar and Sneha SS, Olympian gymnast Pranati Nayak, and badminton star Anmol Kharb.
The SSI Milkha Singh Sprint Champion award was awarded to Odia sprinter Lalu Prasad Bhoi and Nithya Gandhe. The SSI Emerging Player award went to sprinter Animesh Kujur. Dilip Tirkey’s award for best hockey player was given to Shilanad Lakra, while the SSI Paika team award was presented to the Indian Hockey team.
The SSI Best Coach and Grassroots Coach awards were claimed by national badminton coach Vimal Kumar and Indian women’s Ice Hockey team coach Abdul Hakim Giri respectively.
JSW Sports and Dipti Ranjan Samal were honored with the SSI Sports Development and Sports Journalism awards respectively.
