Sports Ministry nominates Vimal Kumar, Ashwini Nachappa to be part of Arjuna Award selection committee

Former national badminton coach Vimal Kumar and ex-athlete Ashwini Nachappa have been nominated by the Sports Ministry to be part of this year's Arjuna and Khel Ratna awards selection committee.

The selection will be headed by (Retd) Delhi High Court Judge Justice Indermeet Kaul Kochhar and will include three renowned sports journalists.

Speaking to PTI from Bengaluru, Nachappa has confirmed she has been verbally invited to be a part of the committee but was waiting for an official communication from the Sports Ministry.

"Yes I have received a verbal invitation from the ministry and more than willing to be a part of the committee. But I am still awaiting the official mail,'' Nachappa told PTI.

Kumar too confirmed that he has got a communication from the ministry but is yet to make up his mind.

The selection committee is expected to meet in the middle of this month to pick the National Sports Awards winners for this year.

In a shift from tradition, The National Sports Awards, which is held on August 29 every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, has been shifted to September 25 for clash of dates with the just-concluded Asian Games.