Sports champions say a big thank you to Mahindra Scorpio TOISA

MUMBAI: Many of India’s prominent sportspersons made their presence felt at the third Mahindra Scorpio TOISA powered by All Out awards at a suburban hotel, here on Monday night. But only few matched the stature of tennis legend

Vijay Amritraj

, who was bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award.


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Post retirement, the 64-year-old made a name for himself in the commentary box and has had people keyed in to his in-depth analysis. As a result, it was only natural that everyone present at the venue listened to his brief acceptance speech in rapt attention. “First and foremost, thank you to The Times of India and all other participants who made this possible,” he said. “Thank you to my friend Stefan Edberg. He’s had a wonderful stay in Mumbai. I remember going to Gothenburg (Sweden) and playing there in the final of the Davis Cup (in 1987), and it was not a pleasant experience. Everything was wonderful about the visit, wonderful about the country, except for the few hours we spent on court,” recalled Amritraj.

Vijay Amritraj was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the third Mahindra Scorpio

Times of India Sports Awards

(TOISA) on Monday.

Kidambi Srikanth, winner of the Mahindra TOISA Sportsperson of the Year award, too, was thrilled at having his performances recognized. “TOISA is definitely one of the biggest sports awards we have in our country. To recognize the performances of athletes is a fantastic endeavour. We really want someone to recognize and support us,” said the soft-spoken 25-year-old, looking dapper in a black bandgala. “To receive this award from you (Edberg) is a special feeling. I can never forget it. See, how happy I am,” he added.

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Elaborating on the changes he has witnessed in sport over the past few decades, Amritraj said: “I grew up at a time when sport was nowhere close to being a profession. People constantly asked my parents: ‘he plays tennis but what does he do for a living’? And we could never answer that question for many years, except the second question was a lot more difficult to answer, which came from my grandmother, who said, ‘Why do you have to go so far to lose?”

Times Group MD Vineet Jain, Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani and ace shuttler P V Sindhu share a special moment
“Today we are very fortunate to have the kind of athletes, talent, sponsorship, television, media coverage and such that goes into making an athlete supreme. We’ve always had remarkable talent in India and it’s now our time to shine on the international stage,” he said. “In my case, I want to thank my parents, especially my mother, who was instrumental in my progress.”

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Yashodhara Raje Scindia, minister for sports and youth welfare, Madhya Pradesh, recieving the new TOISA award for change agent of the year for path-breaking work towards promoting sports

Boxer Vijender Singh, the 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze-medallist, was named Youth Icon Of The Year. The pugilist, who turned pro a couple of years ago, acknowledged the fact that the journey has been difficult, but at the same time, added that’s he’s determined to put India on the world’s pro-boxing map. “We have been trying something new in India over the past couple of years and it’s been a difficult ride. However, with your support we will succeed,” declared the confident 32-year-old.

The other boxer in the mix, Gaurav Bidhuri, winner of the Jury’s Award for Best Boxer, turned emotional and requested his parents to share his joy by coming on to the stage. “I have only seen these awards on TV so you all can imagine how happy I am. My parents made all this possible and I am grateful to them,” he said. He then turned to Vijender in the crowd and said he wanted to match his performance at the Olympics.

Shooter Heena Sidhu accepts the award from 2008 Olympic gold medallist and TOISA jury chief, Abhinav Bindra
There were moments of playfulness during the evening too, one of the more memorable ones being emcee Manish Paul inviting ace shooter Heena Sidhu to give it a shot with a toy gun!

Goalkeeper of India’s women’s hockey team,

Savita Punia

, who was the jury’s choice for the best female hockey player, acknowledged the role trophies have in a sportsperson’s life. “We take great pride in representing India. It’s the biggest honour for us. So, it’s a great feeling when we are rewarded for our good performances. It helps up stay motivated.”

Nita Ambani (chairperson, Reliance Foundation & non-executive director, Reliance Industries), the recipient of the Best Corporate Supporter of Indian Sports, said: “Sports brings people together. I just returned from Pyeongchang (South Korea) after attending the Winter Olympic Games. It was a magical experience to see sportspersons from North and South Korea marching together. It was inspiring.”
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