India’s women’s doubles specialist G. Jwala was “deeply disappointed at being snubbed again” after her name didn’t figure in the list of Padma awardees announced by the Government.
“This makes me feel that you should know the art of PR and have the right connections too,” the 33-year-old shuttler told The Hindu on Thursday.
The former World championship women’s doubles bronze medallist (partnering Ashwini Ponnappa) says she is against the very concept that an athlete has to ‘apply for the award’
On her critics’ view that a dip in her performances in the last two years meant she was not in the reckoning, Jwala counters: “If that is the case, I should have got it when I won the CWG gold or the World championship bronze six years ago.”
Jwala wondered as to what more she has to achieve to get the Padma Award having won the senior National doubles (including mixed doubles) 15 times and winning the 2010 Commonwealth Games women’s doubles gold.
“I always thought my credentials are worthy enough to merit a Padma award. But once again, I am left wondering as to what exactly is required to get this award,” she said.
“Perhaps, being outspoken is proving to be costly. But, again, speaking against injustice is no crime or else there will be no checks and balances at all to all the malpractices that go on in the name of sports administration,” Jwala said.
“It is pretty obvious that you need recommendations and not achievements to get these awards. I am still curious to know how exactly the system works when picking the awardees,” she said.
But whom does she blame – the BAI? “I can’t say precisely who is to be blamed. But, it is pretty apparent that my achievements were not just enough to merit this award. Still waiting to know what more they are looking for in my case,” she said.
On Pankaj Advani also expressing shock and dismay at being ignored again for Padma Bhushan, Jwala feels it is another reminder that the whole procedure is a farce.
“There are some things which don’t seem to change and this is one for them. Forcing performers to wonder as to why should they sacrifice so much for national pride,” Jwala commented.
For his part, K.Ch. Punnaiah Choudhary, BAI Secretary (tournaments), said they only forward the applications from the players and that the BAI had no role and doesn’t engage in any recommendations.
Punnaiah also pointed out that Jwala has not forwarded the application through the BAI since any athlete has the option of doing so either through the respective State Sports Authority or the Olympic Association.
