Sport - Sports : General

Former sportspersons honoured

Mumbai: Celebrating its Platinum Jubilee in grand style, Indian Gymkhana brought to the centre stage a galaxy of sports personalities and honoured them here on Saturday evening.

Several hundred members and guests relished every moment of the superbly planned function. S.M. Krishna, Governor of Maharashtra, was touched by the presence of a dozen Arjuna Awardees and Padma Shri winners, many of them hailing from his home State, Karnataka.

Badminton legend Prakash Padukone, basketball stars of the yesteryear, Hanuman Singh, Ajmer Singh and Abbas Moontasir, hockey stars Dhanraj Pillay, Ashish Ballal, Eliza Nelson, athlete Ashwini Nachappa, cricketer Diana Edulji and cricket writer Rajan Bala received a thunderous applause when called to receive a citation and memento from Mr. Krishna. The Gymkhana also felicitated its past and present internationals.

Mr. Krishna lauded the gymkhana’s endeavour to provide opportunities to the youth who are not members and said: “There’s no better way to celebrate an event such as this, than by acknowledging the fame brought to the nation by outstanding sportspersons. Maybe there’s someone in our midst who has the potential to become a future Olympic champion.”

Speaking on the occasion, Padukone thanked the sports lovers for encouraging them right through their career.

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