Express News Service

CHENNAI: Hurt and humiliated after his name was removed from Dronacharya (regular) Award list, hockey coach Sandeep Sangwan on Saturday met sports minister Anurag Thakur. In fact, he was not the lone coach, who found his name missing from the list. More than 10 coaches, whose names were recommended for either Dronacharya (regular and lifetime) or Dhyan Chand (lifetime) by the selection committee, were left out of the final list announced by the ministry of youth affairs and sports on November 2.

“Not only me. Everyone, whose name was made public around a week ago after the committee recommended his/her name, is now feeling humiliated. I cannot come to terms with this rejection. I have been either applying or being nominated by Hockey India for this award since 2017 and never felt bad after being rejected in the last four years. But this time it’s different as my name was recommended by the committee,” Sangwan, who runs HAR Hockey Academy in Sonepat, Haryana, told this daily.

Hockey coach Baldev Singh, who was part of the committee, said “Sandeep deserves it. I recommended his name and everyone in the committee approved it unanimously. I don’t know why his name was removed later,” said Singh.

The other prominent names, who missed out despite being recommended by the committee, whose chairperson was retired Supreme Court judge Justice Mukundakum Sharma, are Sujit Mann (wrestling), Bhaskar Bhatt (boxing) and CR Kumar (hockey). The last two were recommended for Dronacharya Award in lifetime category.

“Ever since I have learnt that my name was removed from the list, I don’t feel like stepping on the field. I may even approach the court or retire from coaching,” one of the coaches, whose name was removed, told this daily.

Sangwan, who has been coaching hockey players for years, requested the government not to give them cash award if that is the issue behind the move. “We want the honour not money. This is an exceptional year with our athletes performing brilliantly in the Olympics. We won an Olympic medal in hockey after 41 years and it’s good that the players from the men’s team were chosen for Khel Ratna and Arjuna but why the coaches and mentors, who prepared them for the big stage, were ignored,” lamented Sangwan.
It was learnt that these coaches are seeking an appointment with the sports minister to put forward their grievances. The award function is scheduled on November 13.