BAI to confer first Lifetime Achievement award on Prakash Padukone

Prakash Padukone, the renowned Indian Badminton legend and the only Indian male to be ranked as the world no. 1 in Badminton, was selected for the first life time award by Badminton Association of India (BAI).

The award that carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh with a citation will be presented to him at New Delhi very soon.
Announcing the award at Kochi, the Association President Himantha Biswa Sarma said, Prakash Padukone has been selected for the award for his contributions to Badminton. The award was announced at the sidelines of the Manorma BWF World Senior Championships.

About Prakash Padukone

• Born on 10 June 1955 in Karnataka, the former Indian badminton player had won numerous laurels for the country in the field of badminton.

• Padukone had won the 1980 All England, besides bagging a bronze at the 1983 World Championship in Copenhagen.

• He also won a gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.

• He was bestowed with the Arjuna award in 1972 and the Padma Shri in 1982.

• He is one of the co-founders of Olympic Gold Quest, a foundation dedicated to the promotion of Olympic sports in India.

• He is a father of two daughters, namely Deepika Padukone, a Bollywood actress, and Anisha Padukone, a golfer.

• Prakash Padukone's life story has been chronicled in the biography 'Touch Play', by Dev S. Sukumar. The book is only the second biography of any badminton player.