Satyanarayana removed from Dronacharya list; Bopanna to miss Arjuna Award

New Delhi: The Sports Ministry has dropped para-sports coach Satyanarayana from the list of this year's Dronacharya awardees due to a criminal case pending against him. But made no changes to the names recommended for the Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards.

The decision meant tennis player Rohan Bopanna and weightlifter Sanjita Chanu have not been added to the list of Arjuna awardees. "Yes, we have chucked the name of Satyanarayana since he has a case pending against him," a Sports Ministry official told PTI, referring to a defamation case against the coach.

Satyanarayana has coached Mariyappan Thangavelu, who won a gold in Rio Paralympics and who is one among those recommended for the Arjuna Award this year.

It has been learnt that several people had raised objections when Satyanarayana's name was recommended for Dronacharya Award. "We have kept all other names," added the official.

The mails were sent out to the award winners on Friday (August 18) after Sports Minister Vijay Goel cleared the file.

There was a debate if Rohan Bopanna, whose nomination by the All India Tennis Association (AITA) reached ministry late, should be added to the list considering that his achievements were comparatively bigger than Saketh Myneni who was recommended for this year's Arjuna Award.

Some say not playing the Incheon Asian Games has cost Bopanna dear since his preference to play in an ATP World Tour event has not been received well in the ministry.

It's only after he won the French Open he got into the act and sent his application and even had a meeting with the Sports Minister.

Goel had never promised Bopanna the award but it was widely perceived that his meeting with the minister has sealed the deal.

A Grand Slam title is considered equal to a gold in World Championships and it should make him eligible next year.

The Indian Weightlifting Federation had also requested to add Chanu's name in the Arjuna list, saying that she meets the criteria and has 45 points, courtesy gold medals at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Championships, plus a bronze at the Asian Championships.

However, a member of the selection committee said: "Points was not the sole criteria. If points were the only criteria, then neither S S P Chawrasia nor Cheteshwar Pujara nor Harmanpreet Kaur would have got it.

"The achievements were looked at in a holistic perspective. Sanjita has not done anything after the CWG. She did not make even the World Championships."