Sportsperson of the Year is given to Neeraj Chopra, and Lifetime Achievement is given to Bishan Bedi

In exchange for a badminton racquet, Neeraj Chopra exchanged his javelin. Sindhu PV didn’t. The Times of India Sports Awards 2021 (TOISA) celebration in the Capital on Friday saw an unplanned game of badminton played on the dais. Don’t ask who won. As both teams were winning, it was one of those games when no one kept score. Chopra and Sindhu, arguably two of India’s best Olympians, displayed their best sense of humour on stage.At the 2021 TOISA, athletes from all eras of the national sport scene, not only Chopra and Sindhu, were having a blast. When Mirabai Chanu, a weightlifter, was asked if she could pull off the prank, she couldn’t help but lift the event’s emcee. In the wake of Chanu’s performance, the auditorium erupted in laughter. The top athletes from Indian sports came under one roof to celebrate the best of 2021 at the start of the day, which was filled with anticipation and excitement.Chopra won the title of Sportsperson of the Year, as was to be expected. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Chopra won a historic gold medal. “I appreciate that TOISA and the jury members chose me and gave me this prize. Naturally, receiving prizes of this nature boosts my self-esteem and motivates me to work harder, Chopra told TOI.