Chennai: Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand became the latest recipient of the Sports Journalists’ Federation of India (SJFI) medal during a glittering ceremony at the Madras Cricket Club (MCC) here on Wednesday.
The event was hosted in partnership with the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists’ Association (TNSJA).
Anand, who is serving as the deputy president of chess governing body FIDE, joins an esteemed awardee list that also includes Sunil Gavaskar, Vijay Amritraj, Prakash Padukone, P T Usha and Milkha Singh (posthumously).
The medal was presented to the 56-year-old by former India cricket team captain and chief selector K Srikkanth.
Anand was filled with joy upon receiving the honour. “I am proud in a way to have been a catalyst for the growth of chess in India. This is very much a recognition by my peers for real achievements and contributions. This is very special because it is hardcore; these are people who will appreciate you for what you did and not necessarily the impact it had or anything else,” he said, besides thanking his wife Aruna Anand while addressing the gathering.
Srikkanth, the chief guest on the occasion, was at his witty best. “Way back in 1985 or 1986, I played chess with Anand; that is my claim to fame. As usual, I got knocked out in five or six moves, but that is fine. Being the world champion in an individual sport… just imagine. He deserves a standing ovation,” said Srikkanth as the attendees rose in unison to celebrate the achievements of the legendary Grandmaster.
Olympic gold-winning hockey player V Baskaran was present, and veteran journalist R Mohan read the citation that was later presented to Anand.
During his speech, Baskaran hailed the SJFI for “doing a wonderful job in promoting sports”.
The SJFI president Saraju Chakraborty delivered the welcome address, while the federation’s secretary V Ramesh proposed the vote of thanks. Other eminent sports personalities, including GMs K. Sasikiran, Shyam Sundar, IMs Manuel Aaron, V Saravanan and former hockey player Mohammed Riaz, were also in attendance.
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