Indian Railways wins Sportstar Aces Best PSU for Sports Promotion of Sports

The past decade has seen Railways sportsmen and teams win honours and medals at major international events, including the Olympics.

Anand Singh Khati, president of the Railways Sports Promotion Board, with the Best PSU for the Promotion of Sports honour.

Indian Railways, the backbone of Indian sports since 1928, was presented with the Best PSU for the Promotion of Sports honour at the 2021 Sportstar ACES Awards.

The past decade has seen Railways sportsmen and teams win honours and medals at major international events, including the Olympics, and Railways squads win laurels in many disciplines, including athletics, tennis and wrestling. Railways teams have excelled at the national level, dominating competitions in many sports, and its sportspersons account for most of the sports awards every year.

“Railways provides career opportunities not only as employment, but we also take care of their other welfare activities, their careers and promotional activities. So, in a rightful manner, this is a true acknowledgement of Railways’ decade’s performance as far as sports is concerned,” said Anand Singh Khati, president of the Railways Sports Promotion Board, while accepting the award. “Railways has a history of running sports and sports institutions. We have almost 3,000 active sportspersons working for us, and there are another 7,000 sportspersons who are in various capacities; they are working for sports, as well as [fulfilling] their other responsibilities,” he added.

 

Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu; archer Bombayla Devi; wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia; boxer Manoj Kumar; athletes Annu Rani, Sudha Singh, Dutee Chand, Khushbir Kaur, Lalita Babar and Tintu Luka; shooters Ayonika Paul and Anuja Jung; and basketball player Geethu Anna Jose, among many others, have been the pride of Railways.

The 2021 edition of the Sportstar ACES Awards honoured the Giants of the Decade in Indian sport, with the winners being assessing on their performance and consistency from 2011 to 2020. Eleven awards were presented under the popular choice category, which was open to public voting, along with 14 jury awards as well as special recognition awards under two new categories – Sports for Good and Giants off the Field – that recognise the work of organisations and individuals who have used sports for the betterment of society.