The Department of Sports & Youth Services (DSYS), Government of Odisha, conferred the Biju Patnaik Sports Award for the year 2024 in eight categories on the auspicious occasion of National Sports Day on 29 August 2025. But due to allegations of irregularities in the selection process, the highest official sports award of the State has always created controversy since its inception in 2002.

It was no different this year as Chhattisgarh sprinter Animesh Kujur, who trains at the Bhubaneswar-based Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre, and represents Odisha in National championships, was felicitated with the Sportsperson of the Year Award, which carried a cheque of Rs 3 lakh.

The 22-year-old Animesh, who hails from Ghuitangar village of Jashpur district and works as an employee of Chhattisgarh Forest Department, currently hogging the headlines as the fastest man of the country with both the 100m and 200m National records under his possession. He has also become the first male sprinter to qualify for the World Athletics Championship 2025, scheduled to be held in Tokyo from September 13 to 21.

There is not an iota of doubt about the achievements of Animesh as a star athlete of the country and everyone wishes him to make the country proud by winning a medal at the World championship. But how justified it was on the part of the DSYS to confer Odisha’s Best Sportsperson of the Year Award on an imported athlete from Chhattisgarh? This strange decision of DSYS not only came as a humiliation and a confidence-shattering blow for the home-grown athletes of Odisha, who have brought laurels for the State and the country through hard work, perseverance and dedication.

It is alleged that the guidelines of the Biju Patnaik Sports Award was disdainfully violated to select Animesh and boost the image of the Athletics HPC. According to the guidelines, a sportsperson should be a permanent resident of Odisha or should have stayed in the State for a period of not less than seven years to be eligible for this award.

Animesh started representing Odisha in 2023 after getting a no-objection certificate from Chhattisgarh Athletics Association for a period of one year. But he continues to turn up for Odisha without getting a no-objection certificate for subsequent years. He stays at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar and enjoys special hospitality from the Odisha Government.

When asked about this discrepancy, Odisha Athletics Association (OAA) secretary explained that if an athlete represents another state for one year, he/she becomes eligible to do so for as long as he/she wants without producing a no-objection certificate. The OAA secretary claimed that this rule has been formulated by the Athletics Federation of India. But an effort to find the rule in the AFI website proved in vain.

According to former DSYS Assistant Sports Director Ashok Mohanty, who played a pivotal role in the formulation of the guidelines for the Biju Patnaik Sports Award, the seven-year domicile clause has been there from the beginning. “Because of this rule, hockey legend Michael Kindo could not get this award. He breathed his last in Rourkela  as an unsung hero despite representing Odisha in National championships and making outstanding contributions for the promotion of hockey in the State,’’ revealed Mohanty.

“Biju Patnaik Sports Award Scheme was introduced with the aim to encourage native sports talents of Odisha achieve national and international glory for the State. It is deplorable that the award is now being gifted to imported athletes for the purpose of gaining overnight success and cheap publicity,” lamented Mohanty, himself a former hockey player.

His contention was: “Let the Odisha Government provide cash awards to Animesh for winning medals for the State. But conferring him with the highest sports award of the state is not acceptable. Is the highest literary and film awards of Odisha given to outstanding achievers of other states?”

It may be noted that as the major achievements of his career, Animesh won one bronze medal each at the Asian Athletics Championship and World University Games this year. In 2024, his international performance was not so outstanding to deserve the Best Sportsperson of the Year award.

Now the question is: How come not a single native sportsperson of Odisha was considered eligible for this award. What about young women swimmers Pratyasa Ray, Shristi Upadhaya and Mannata Mishra who created history by winning gold medals for the State in the National championship? Why not Sunelita Toppo, who bagged the gold medal at the Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy?

The Odisha women cycling team, featuring Swasti Singh, Barsharani Barik and Urmila Behera also secured historic gold at the National championship. Young lifters Preetismita Bhoi, Mina Santa and Hrudananda Das bagged international medals and Kashika Pradhan captured gold at the National shooting championships. Are these achievements insignificant?

The responsibility to select awardees was in the hands of a committee, headed by DSYS secretary Sachin Ramachandra Yadhav with Director Yeddula Vijay as convenor and one Olympian, one Arjuna Awardee of the State, one Biju Patnaik award winning sportsperson and sports journalist, secretary of Odisha Olympic Association and an administrator of a State level sports body as members.

According to reliable sources, members of the selection committee were not given documents related to the achievements of the aspiring awardees. Instead, these were displayed on the computer screen in the form of scrolling. One member joined the meeting on video conferencing, while one was not aware of the domicile clause. Final decisions of the DSYS authorities prevailed and the consent of the members were taken for granted. In the case of the Best Sportsperson Award, the sports journalist strongly opposed the selection of Animesh Kujur. But he was outnumbered by other members, who praised the athlete as the pride of Odisha.

Similarly eyebrows were raised as no one was selected in the meeting for the Life-time Achievement Award. The name of legendary weightlifter and Arjuna Awardee Bijay Kumar Satpathy was added to the list later. However, Satpathy could not join the award ceremony due to health issues and his son received the honour. It was a classic case of “better late than never” as Satpathy was conferred with the State award, 43 years after receiving the Arjuna Award.

Of course, the decision to confer the upcoming talent of the year award on chess prodigy Sattwik Swain, best para sportsperson award on wheelchair fencer Rakhal Sethy, best coach award on Sushama Nanda (volleyball) and best sports journalist award on Bimal Kumar Raul (The Prameya) drew appreciation.