Jabbar, Pratyasa chosen for OSJA Awards 2024

Bhubaneswar, 10th January 2025: Eminent football coach Mohammad Shahid Jabbar and swimming ace Pratyasa Ray have been chosen as the recipients of the Odisha Sports Journalists Association (OSJA) Awards for the year 2024. This was announced by OSJA president Sandeep Mishra today.

Jabbar will be honoured with the OSAJ Award for Lifetime Achievement and Contribution, while Pratyasa will be conferred with the OSJA Sportsperson of the Year Award. The 8th OSJA Awards, carrying a purse of Rs 25,000 each, will be presented at a function to be held in Bhubaneswar on 19 January 2025.

Sixty-year-old Jabbar, who is fondly known as Guddan in the State football circle, was a skillful forward in his salad days. He represented Odisha in Junior and Senior National Championships twice each. He also represented his employer Odisha Police in the All India Police Games for 15 years.

After hanging up his boots, Jabbar, who belongs to Cuttack, excelled as a coach, guiding Indian National football team to title triumph twice in SAFF Women’s Championship twice. He also served as the coach of the State boys, girls, men and women teams for many years.

Pratyasa, the most decorated swimmer of the State, not only brought national and international glory for Odisha, but also inspired hundreds of girls to take to the aquatic sports. She became the first-ever medal winner for Odisha in the Senior National Aquatic Championships last year in Mangalore where she bagged one gold, two silver and one bronze. Her trophy cabinet now dazzles with 10 medals from National Championship and National Games along with five medals from South Asian Championship.

OSJA, the Odisha State unit of Sports Journalists Federation of India, has been conferring the annual awards since 2018. Past winners of the OSJA Sportsperson of the Year Award include Kishore Kumar Jena, Purnima Hembram (both athletics), Amit Rohidas, Birendra Lakra (both hockey), Pramod Bhagat (para badminton), Swayams Mishra (chess) and Swasti Singh (cycling).

Past recipients of the OSJA Lifetime Achievement Awards are: Bijay Kumar Satpathy (weightlifting), Debendra Prasad Singh (football), Braja Bhusan Mohanty (boxing), Panchanan Gantayat, Arun Kumar Das (both athletics), Arupananda Routray (basketball) and Peter Tirkey (hockey).