Bhubaneswar: The ‘Ekalabya Puraskar’ for the year 2022 was presented to cyclist Swasti Singh.
The award is given every year to encourage young sports talents.
Singh was Friday presented with a citation, trophy and Rs 5 lakh cash in a programme organized by Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust (IMPaCT), the charitable wing of IMFA.
She was honoured for her performance from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022 at both national and international levels. Football player Pyari Xaxa and Hockey player Shilanda Lakra also were honoured with a citation and Rs 50,000 cash each.
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Billiards and Snooker World Champion Pankaj Advani attended the function as the Chief Guest while Pranati Mishra, Asian Games Medalist spoke as a Guest of honour. Trustee Baijayant Panda, Chairman Eklabya Puraskar Committee – 2022 was present along with the jury members.
Ekalabya Puraskar, instituted by IMPaCT in the year 1993, has come a long way to be recognized as the most prestigious sports award of Odisha, drawing parallels with many national awards.
