Lovlina thanks journalists for playing a major role in her career

GUWAHATI, Jan 11: The Assam Sports Journalists' Association conferred the ASJA Awards in the city today. Olympic Games medallist Lovlina Borgohain received the RG Baruah Best Sportsperson of the Year Award.

Apart from her, young swimmer Shivangi Sharma, weightlifter Sidhanta Gogoi and Assam volleyball team (men) were conferred the ASJA Awards. Veteran sports organiser and journalist Premadhar Sarma was also honoured on the occasion.

This year the award was conferred in four categories. Shivangi and Sidhanta bagged NN Singh best Junior Sportsperson of the year Award jointly while Nurul Amin best team of the year Award was received by Assam Volleyball Team. On the other hand Premadhar Sarma received the Pulin Das Lifetime Achievement Award.

Winning the RG Baruah Best Sportsperson of the Year Award Olympic medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain thanked the sports journalists of Assam for playing a major role in her formative years.

"I'm thankful to all the journalists here who have played a key role in the early years of my career," Lovlina said after receiving the award in the awards ceremony organised by the Assam Sports Journalists Association (ASJA). Apart from conventional honours, such as citation, memento and trophy, the awardees-Lovlina Borgohain, Premadhar Sarma and Assam volleyball team- also received cash rewards Rs 50,000 each. Shivangi and Sidhant collected a purse of Rs 25,000 each. Assam Sports and Youth welfare Minister Bimal Borah attended the award ceremony as the chief guest. Bora appreciated the role of the ASJA in highlighting the important issues related to sports in the state. He also said the Assam government was lately taking massive initiatives to develop sports infrastructure in the state and it would include a Rs 120 crore state-of-the-art sports complex at Chandrapur on the outskirts of Guwahati.

Addressing the occasion, Assam Olympic Association secretary Lakhya Konwar, who along with former Asian Games medallist shooter Jaydeep Das attended the function as guest of honour, appreciated the ASJA initiative and also solicited the sports journalists' contributions in compilation of an anthology of Assam's sportspersons biographies.

Among other present in the function were President of Gauhati Sports Association Pulak Goswami, Joint Director of Sports and Youth Welfare Department Partha Pegu, Secretary of Boxing Federation of India Hemanta Kalita, Treasurer of Hockey India Tapan Das, sports organizer Swapnanil Barua, Rajiv Prakash Baruah, Kalyan Das, president (sales and marketing) of Meghalaya Cements Ltd Anil Kapoor, veteran sports scribes Pabitra Gogoi and others.

Also read: ASJA to confer Sports Awards today

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