Indian Weightlifter, Padma Shri Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, who became the 1st Indian weightlifter to win the silver medal at Tokyo Olympic Games, has won the 4th edition of the “British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Indian Sportswoman Of The Year (ISWOTY) 2022”.
- Mirabai Chanu, the 28-year-old Commonwealth champion, became the first athlete to win the award twice. Previously, She also won the BBC ISWOTY 2021.
The award ceremony was hosted by Timothy Douglas Davie (Tim Davie), Director-General of the BBC, at the Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi, Delhi.
ISWOTY 2022- Nominees:
The 5 shortlisted nominees of the 4th edition of BBC ISWOTY were wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, boxer Nikhat Zareen badminton player PV Sindhu, and Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu.
Note: A judging team made up of renowned sports journalists, authors, and experts announced the 5 nominees for the BBC Indian Sportswoman award for 2022 in February 2023.
Other Awards:
i. BBC Para Sportswoman of the Year 2022:
Bhavina Patel, an Indian Table Tennis player, won the inaugural “BBC Para Sportswoman of the Year 2022” award, a new category introduced this year.
- Bhavina Patel, the silver-medal-winning Paralympian from Tokyo 2020, resumed her good form in 2022 by winning gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
ii. BBC Lifetime Achievement Award 2022:
Pritam Siwach, a former captain of the Indian women’s hockey team and coach, received the “BBC Lifetime Achievement Award 2022” in recognition of her contributions to Indian sports and for inspiring generations of players.
- She was the 1st woman hockey coach to be given the Dronacharya Award, the highest national award for coaches.
iii. BBC Emerging Player of the Year 2022:
Nitu Ghanghas, an Indian Boxer, was chosen as the “BBC Emerging Player of the Year 2022”.
- She has won a medal at the Commonwealth Games and is a 2-time youth world champion. In the minimum weight category, she took home a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
iv. BBC Changemaker of the Year Award 2022:
Lovely Choubey (lead), Pinki (second), Nayanmoni Saikia (third), and Rupa Rani Tirkey (skip), women’s lawn bowls team of India, which won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (India’s first-ever medal in the lawn bowls), was given the “BBC Changemaker of the Year Award 2022”.
BBC ISWOTY:
In 2019, BBC Hindi in India initiated the BBC ISWOTY, an annual award, to recognise the best sportswomen in India and highlight the issues and challenges faced by female athletes.
Previous Winners of BBC ISWOTY:
i. PV Sindhu, an Indian Badminton Player, was the winner of the inaugural BBC ISWOTY 2019.
ii. Padma Shri Koneru Humpy, an Indian Chess Player, won the 2nd edition of the BBC ISWOTY 2020.
iii. Padma Shri Mirabai Chanu, an Indian Weightlifter, won the 3rd edition of the BBC ISWOTY 2021.
About Saikhom Mirabai Chanu:
i. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu was born on 8th August 1994 in Nongpok Kakching, Imphal East, Manipur.
ii. She was the 1st Indian Weightlifter to win silver at the Olympics and the 2nd Indian Weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to win an Olympic medal.
iii. Mirabai Chanu won the gold at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, California, in the United States (US). Moreover, she holds a number of medals from the Commonwealth Games.
Awards:
i. Mirabai Chanu was honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (now Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award) in 2018.
ii. The Government of India honoured her with Padma Shri in 2018 for Sports (Manipur) for her hard work and dedication to the sport.
Recent Related News:
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the winners of the ICC awards 2022, India’s Suryakumar Yadav has won the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2022 while compatriot Renuka Singh has won the ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year 2022 award.
About the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC):
Director-General- Timothy Douglas Davie
Headquarters- London, the United Kingdom (UK)
Establishment- 1922
