NL Corresspondent
Jammu, Mar 17: To pay tributes to celebrity Handball coach from J&K, Arun Kumar on his birth anniversary, Arun Sharma Sports and Social Welfare Trust today organised a felicitation function to honour those sports officials of the past in a function held at S D Sabha School Rehari grounds, here today.
An exhibition match between Army XI and Arun Sharma Handball Club was also organised wherein Arun Club emerged winner 26-22.
All the officials honoured today remained associated with Arun Sharma during his career span of 30 years as a player, coach and officer.
Among the top officials felicitated by the Trust amidst floral tributes to Arun Sharma were Ashok Kumar, Anchal Singh, Parkash Singh Jasrotia, Dr Sawarn Singh, Ashanand Sharma, Amrit Pal Singh, R C Vaid, Jaswant Singh, Raj Kumar Sharma and Inder Parkash.
The function was also attended by family members of Arun Kumar Sharma, including his grand children.
Earlier, speaking to the gathering, Ashok Kumar, who served Department of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS) as Deputy Director and presently associated with different sports and social organisations, shared his experiences and time spent with Arun Kumar. He termed Arun as man behind the rise of Handball in J&K saying, “His (Arun) contributions for sports are unmatched”.
Prominent among other guests present were Naresh Sharma (DySP), Akshay Khajuria (DySP), Dr Kishor Sharma (Principal GHSS Bhalwal), Ajay Khajuria, (Principal S D Sabha School), Ajay Kumar (DYSS) and Handball coaches, Dev Raj, Sudesh Kumar, Vinay Sharma, Vipan Photra and Rishi Sharma.
The function was also joined by chairman Adhoc Committee of J&K Handball Association, Dr S M Bali. The event was conducted by Mamta Bajaj, international player.
Later, the visiting retired officials appreciated the initiatives being taken by the Arun Sport Trust in bringing the champions of the past, coaches and sports officials to the grounds through different events. They were all praise for the management of the S D Sabha School Rehari for extending a helping hand by way of infrastructure support.
About Arun Kumar: Born on March 17, 1952 to a modest family. However, he grew up to lead the India Handball team. He later joined the J&K Sports Council as Handball coach to rise to the top position of Divisional Sports Officer. As an international player and coach, Arun Kumar Sharma won 50 medals, including 22 Gold, 19 Silver and Eight Bronze in a career span spreading over 30 years.
