Beijing bound wrestler nominated for Arjuna award

WFI has recommended Yogheswar Dutt and 2007 World Championship bronze medallist Alka Tomar for Arjuna awards.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has recommended Beijing-bound Yogheswar Dutt and 2007 World Championship bronze medallist Alka Tomar for Arjuna Awards for year 2007.

While most of the sports federations did not hesitate to disclose the names of the sportsperson they have recommended for the Arjuna Awards, the WFI chose to keep the nominations a guarded secret.

However, highly placed sources said that apart from Yogheswar and Alka, the WFI has also nominated coach Gurmukh Singh for the prestigious Dhyanchand Award.

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“WFI has nominated Yogeshwar Dutt and Alka Tomar for Arjuna Awards for year 2007. The Federation has also sent Gurmukh Singh’s name for the Dhyanchand Award,” said the source.

Earlier, although WFI President G S Mandher said that they have recommended two wrestlers for the Arjuna Award, he refused to disclose their identity.

“Yes, we have recommended two wrestlers – one male and one female – for the Arjuna Award. But at this moment I won’t like to disclose their names,” said Mandher.

“Making recommendation of names hardly matters, what matters is winning the award,” he added. The WFI President also was critical of other sports bodies for making the recommendations public. I feel other sports federations too should abstain from disclosing the names of the athletes.”