JOIN USAnnouncing this, Sports Minister Goolihatti Shekar said the award, to be presented from next year onwards, will carry a prize of Rs one lakh.
The minister also released the list of Ekalavya awardees for 2007 and 2008. Thirty sportspersons have been selected for the awards — carrying a cash prize of Rs 50,000, a statuette and a certificate -- to be presented.
The awardees include footballer Xavier Vijaykumar, swimmers Kshipra Mahajan and Rohith Havaldar, cueist R Umadevi and hockey player G M Hariprasad. They were selected by a panel headed by hockey Olympian M P Ganesh.
The awardees: 2007: Athletics: L Manjula. Badminton: Nitya Sosale. Billiards: R Umadevi. Chess: M Satvik. Equestrian: Aliya Dasgupta. Football: Xavier Vijaykumar. Fencing: N Laxmi. Hockey: G M Hariprasad. Kho-kho: Varadaraj M N. Kabaddi: Thyagaraj. Powerlifting: Nayana Sreeyan. Rifle shooting: Kavitha V. Swimming: Kshipra Mahajan. Disabled sports: Sharath Gaekwad. Body building: L M Karibasappa
2008: Athletics: Poovamma M R. Basketball: Srinivas Nayak. Badminton: Ashwini Ponnappa. Chess: Girish Koushik. Cycling: Kaveri R B. Fencing: Nanjundegowda. Hockey: Vikram Kanth A L. Judo: Rohini B Patil. Kho-kho: Adarsh C P. Kabaddi: Uday Chowtha. Netball: B R Prameela. Powerlifting: Jyothi N B. Swimming: Rohith Havaldar. Volleyball: Akshatha A K. Disabled sports: Farman Basha.