The well-known para athlete and India coach Arjuna Awardee Vijay Munishwar has been selected for the prestigious Droncharaya Award (Lifetime Achievement) on Tuesday. In the announcement, made by the sports ministry, Munishwar, who got the Arjuna Award in 2000 for his superb efforts in the field of para athletics and powerlifting, will be getting the award on August 29. With the twin top national awards – one as a player and the other as coach, he becomes the first one from Maharashtra to complete the set of four awards. He has been awarded Shiv Chhatrapati Award and Dadoji Konddev Award previously by the State for his services to para sports. As a player participating in armwrestling, boxing, athletics and powerlifting, Munishwar has won three international golds.
“I am the only person from the state of Maharashtra to complete all the four awards a sportsperson looks forward to in his life,” claimed Munishwar, who received his Arjuna Award for excelling in athletics and powerlifting 20 years ago in 2000. “Two of my trainees have won Arjuna Awards. My trainees have won 35 international medals while 30 players who trained under me got State awards,” he added.
The National Sports Awards ceremony is conducted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 29 that is celebrated as the National Sports Day to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic all the winners will be logging in from their respective places to hear their names being announced. As a player participating in arm-wrestling, boxing, athletics and powerlifting, Munishwar has won three international golds and as many numbers of silver and bronze medals. One of his top performances was an Asian record achieved on August 15, 1999 in Yunlin, Taiwan Munishwar holds many important posts in various capacities including being Chairman, PCI Powerlifting, India and Founder President of The Maharashtra State Paralympic Association. An avid blood donor, Munishwar has donated blood for 106 times in his life and has conducted 41 blood donation camps.
