Mumbai: The country’s top special athletes, including the likes of golfer Diksha Dagar (hearing impaired), para-shooter Avani Lekhara, para-archer Sheetal Devi, para-athlete Simran Vats and para-table-tennis player Bhavina Patel among women, and para-badminton star Pramod Bhagat, “Gunga Pehelwan” Virender Singh, para-shooter Manish Narwal, para-javelin thrower Sundar Singh Gurjar, and para-cricketer Amir Hussain Lone among men, are in the running for the first Radiant Differently Abled Sports Awards, scheduled at the Siri Fort Auditorium in the national capital on 23 December 2023. The nominations in 23 award categories were announced ahead of D-Day and a total of 250 special athletes have received nominations.
The first Radiant Differently Abled Sports Awards (RDASA) will be the first in the country exclusively for Differently Abled athletes and is aimed at celebrating the outstanding achievements of the differently abled sports community annually. It was recently hailed by the Head of World Para Athletics, Paul Fitzgerald, who lauded Radiant Sports for their commitment to promote inclusivity on a global scale.
An eminent jury comprising Olympic bronze-winning wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, National Para Athletics coach Satyanarayana, Rupinder Singh, Mukesh Tyagi, and Bhausaheb Wagchure has been set in place to adjudicate the awards. The RDASA will also be broadcast live on Doordarshan.
Speaking about the upcoming event, Radiant Sports Management co-founder and president Raadhika Khetarpal said, “It is immensely gratifying to organize such an event which will help in the development of our special athletes. It is our mission to inspire everyone in the country by celebrating and honouring our differently-abled heroes and their heroics. A whole year of hard work by a supremely committed team has gone behind these awards and I am extremely humbled at leading the initiative. We are also very grateful for the support received by such legends as Shri Ashok Dhyanchand who has allowed the use of the legendary Dhyanchand name for one of our top awards. I look forward to an afternoon of glory for a community who deserve every bit of the spotlight.”
Beyond the best female and male athlete awards, the RDASA will be recognising top coaches, academies, the most stylish athlete, social media star, teams and there is also an award for the Best Sports Fan, so important in the development of Differently Abled Sports and sportspersons.
In the running for the Dhyanchand Team of the Year will be the Indian para-shooting team, the women’s blind cricket team, the deaf Indian wrestling team and the AISCD Badminton team among others.
As many as 21 Differently Abled sports federations have sent in their nominations for the first RDASA. “It was no easy task getting so many federations on board and that is something we are also extremely proud of,” signed off Raadhika.
Itinerary: 1st Radiant Differently Abled Sports Awards
Day 1: Radiant Sports Conclave (Venue: Garden of Five Senses, Saket. Time: 3 pm-5 pm)
Day 2: Radiant Differently Abled Sports Awards (Venue: Siri Fort Auditorium. Time: 12 pm -3 pm)
