Tennis player Debasis Sahoo receives prestigious Ekalabya Puraskar 2023

International tennis player Debasis Sahoo received the prestigious 31st Ekalabya Puraskar for the year 2023 for his outstanding achievements in the sport. The award was instituted by IMPaCT, and managed by IMFA, the leading Ferro Alloys producer in the country.

Besides, athlete Bapi Hansda and weightlifter Jyoshna Sabar were felicitated on the occasion for their remarkable performances in various international and national events.

Debasis, a rising tennis player who has four international and 11 titles at the national level emerged as the clear winner this year. He received a cash award of Rs 5 lakh along with a citation at the award-giving ceremony held at Bhubaneswar today.

Similarly, both Bapi Hansda and weightlifter Jyoshna Sabar received a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh each along with citations.

The nominations for the award were made by taking their performances between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2023 into consideration.

The event was joined by former Test cricketer and member of the 1983 ODI Cricket World Cup winning squad Madan Lal, former Ranji player and NCA coach Pawan Agrawal, Trustee and Chairman of Ekalabya Puraskar Committee Baijayant Panda.

Speaking at the ceremony, Madan Lal said, “This is a very good initiative by IMFA. I am glad to know the jury members of the selection committee does not comprise only sportspersons. But the committee constitutes experts from every field---from sports to journalism.”

BJP National Vice President Baijayant Panda, who is the chairperson of Ekalabya Puraskar Committee and Trustee, IMPaCT, highlighted the Ekalabya Puraskar's varied influence on the occasion and recalled how past awardees progressed to represent India internationally, showcasing the award's impactful legacy.

"IMPaCT has always been involved in social works. But in 1993, we decided to honour sportspersons who had no support system and did not get opportunities to showcase their talents. Nowadays there is government funding, infrastructure, coaching, and sponsorship from corporate sectors which was not there 30 years back when we started this Award. Our intention was to pave a way for young sportspersons, to encourage them and bring recognition to them," Panda said.

"I'm extremely happy that so many young sportspersons have achieved recognition at both the National and International level. Today, for the first time, we have got a Tennis player. A few years back, who would have thought that a Tennis player would bring laurels to our state," he added.

Panda asserted that the Ekalabya Award will continue to encourage sportspersons in the years to come. He also thanked Madan Lal and said that he was truly an inspiration for the future sports stars of Odisha.

Read | Fought for Debashish Mohanty’s selection in 1999 World Cup Squad: Madan Lal at Ekalabya Puraskar

Notably, Ekalabya Puraskar, instituted by IMPaCT, in the year 1993 and managed by IMFA, has come a long way to be recognised as the most prestigious sports award of Odisha, drawing parallels with many national awards.

A mere look at the career graph of many of the past awardees confirms that over the years, it has been a morale booster for the best sporting talents in the State. The award is given every year to young sportspersons of Odisha in recognition of their outstanding performance in the preceding two years.