Bhubaneswar: Football coach and former Santosh Trophy player Mohammad Shahid Jabbar and ace swimmer Pratysa Ray will be conferred this year’s Odisha Sports Journalists Association (OSJA) awards.
Pratysha Ray, who achieved many successes last year, will receive the ‘Outstanding Sportsperson of the Year’ award for 2024, while Shahid Jabbar will be honoured with ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ for his contribution to the success of the Indian women’s football team.
The awards will be presented at the annual function of the Odisha Sports Journalists Association (OSJA) to be held in Bhubaneswar on January 19, OSJA President Sandeep Mishra said in a statement.
Inspired by his father Abdul Jabbar who was a great footballer, Mohammad Shahid Jabar represented the Odisha football team for many years. He played for Odisha in the National Junior and National Senior Santosh Trophy for many years and participated in the All-India Police Football Competition as a member of the Odisha Police team for 15 years.
After retiring from football as a player, Shahid Jabbar, who focused on coaching, was the head coach of the Indian women’s football team for many years. Under his guidance, the Indian women’s team performed well in the SAFF Championship and many other major competitions and won the title. This apart, he has also served as the coach of both the men’s and women’s teams of Odisha in various age groups. Shahid Jabbar, who has also completed coaching training from the Asian Football Confederation, is still active as a coach and football administrator.
Similarly, Pratysa Ray achieved many successes in 2024. She won one gold, two silver and one bronze medal in the National Swimming Competition held in September last year. In addition, she also won medals at the international level in 2024. In 2024, she had the opportunity to win 3 gold and 1 bronze medals in the Premier Provincial Swimming Competition held in Pretoria, South Africa. In addition, she won 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals in the Khelo India Games representing the Utkal University team. Pratysa Ray also received the Ekalabya Award in 2024.
Both Shaheed Jabbar and Pratysha Ray will be presented with a cash prize of Rs 25,000 each, citation, and special trophy as the OSJA Annual Award.
OSJA, affiliated to the All-India Sports Journalists Association, has been giving out annual awards since 2018. The first year’s winners were athlete Purnima Hembram and football player Deb Singh.
