Sportstar is all set to host 2023 edition of its Aces Awards on 27th February in Mumbai to acknowledge the achievements of India’s sports stars in 2022.
Speaking about the awards, Ayon Sengupta, Editor of Sportstar, said, “Indian athletes continued to excel in 2022, following the success at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. We saw champions emerging from multiple sports, reinforcing the belief that India is no longer a one-sport nation. This year, our jury, which has been further strengthened by the addition of Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, had a difficult task and we had our longest-ever jury meeting to pick the winners.”
He added, “This year’s Sportstar Aces Awards is special as it is entering its 5th year. To celebrate this, we have introduced a new award — ‘Inspirational Icon’. This award will champion athletes who have enthused the next generation to pick up sports and have also used the power of sports to leave a mark on the larger society.”
The Sportstar Aces jury is chaired by Sunil Gavaskar and its other members are MM Somaya, Viswananthan Anand, Aparna Popat, Anjali Bhagwat, Bhaichung Bhutia and Abhinav Bindra.
Gavaskar is the chairman of the jury for the Aces Awards. On the rapidly improving quality of Indian athletes, he opined, “It is the availability of watching top stars in the world, to also be able to participate in competitions with them, learn their training methods and how they sustain their championship mode that has helped the Indian athletes elevate themselves.”
Indian Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, who is a part of the jury, said, “As a jury member, I look for ‘the little bit extra’ in all the nominees that will make them the winner. We look for that world title, the sense of breakthrough, achieving something we thought impossible or that quality that inspires people.”
He further said, “India’s sporting footprint is slowly growing — not only competitively but also organisationally. We had the Commonwealth Games, the Chess Olympiad, and a lot of other sports. This makes us pleasantly surprised that in one more sport, we have made a name for ourselves. Also in established sports, we are breaking old records and new records are being created and trophies are being brought back home.”
Speaking about the event, Suresh Balakrishna, Chief Revenue Officer of The Hindu Group said, “Very happy to share that Aces is becoming bigger each year and celebrating the spirit of sports. These awards are dedicated to honouring our sporting champions and creating a platform to converse about India’s bright future in sports.”
