Manisha Malhotra wins IOC award

Former Indian tennis player Manisha Malhotra has received a top International Olympic Committee prize for her work in promoting women in sport. Malhotra, who competed for India in doubles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was one of six winners at the Women and Sports Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Thursday night. Malhotra received the World Trophy for helping disadvantaged girls. She has traveled across India to offer women support in archery, wrestling, boxing, badminton, track and field, squash, shooting and other sports. The IOC says she has “worked tirelessly to promote female leaders in all aspects of sport in the economic sector.” The award was presented by IOC President Jacques Rogge on the opening night of the fifth World Conference on Women and Sport. Receiving the five continental trophies were: Peninnah Aligawesa Kabenge of Uganda; the Bradesco Sports and Education Progam of Brazil; Zaiton Othman of Malaysia; Aikaterini Nafplioti-Panagopoulos of Greece; and Roseline Blake of the Cook Islands.