Sports ministry to honour Anand and Malleswari

World Chess Champion Viswananthan Anand and Sydney Olympic bronze medal winner Karnam Malleswari would be awarded cash prizes by the Union Sports Ministry.

"Anand would be given Rs 1.5 million for winning the World Chess Championship and Malleswari would get Rs 600,000 for winning a bronze medal at the Olympics," Sports Minister Uma Bharti said.

The ministry has decided to equate a World Championship with that of an Olympic Gold Medal and accordingly Anand, who recently won the Chess Championship defeating Alexei Shirov of Spain at Tehran will be given Rs 1.5 million.

Bharti said, "I had written to the prime minister to award Padma Bhushans to both Anand and Malleswari but the PMO replied that the list for the year 2000 has already been finalised and the request for the two players have come late."

"As the events took place late, I could not have done anything more," she said adding "We would like to honour them as per the promise made by the prime minister before the team was sent to the Sydney Olympics."

Both Anand and Malleswari have won Padma Shree awards before. Sources in the Ministry said Malleswari is being considered for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the year 2001.