Taekwondo Master Shreepada R. Rao Wins Pride of India Award

Taekwondo Master Shreepada R. Rao of Belagavi Receives Pride of India Award 2026 for Establishing Sport as Education

Belagavi, Karnataka: Bringing together sporting excellence, independent legal research and institutional leadership, Taekwondo Master Shreepada R. Rao, Founder and Chairman of Yakshit Yuva Pratishthana®, has been conferred the Pride of India Outstanding Contribution to Sports and Education Award 2026 by The Indian Forum for Social Leaders & Achievers. His recognition highlights a professional journey spanning more than two decades, with a particularly distinctive contribution towards advancing the proposition that systematic sports training constitutes education under Indian taxation law.

Based in Belagavi, Karnataka, Taekwondo Master Rao has played a pioneering role in the development and institutional growth of Taekwondo in Belagavi district. Through his sustained involvement in coaching, technical administration, competition management and sports governance, he has contributed to building the organised framework for the discipline in the region. His professional journey extends beyond the sporting arena, encompassing a broader vision of sport as an instrument of education, character formation and social transformation. His work before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), Panaji Bench, represents a significant intersection of sporting expertise and legal research, setting apart his contribution from conventional achievements in coaching and competitive sport.

A distinctive contribution to Indian tax jurisprudence: Establishing Sport as Education

One of the most significant dimensions of Taekwondo Master Rao’s professional contribution is his independent effort to advance the educational character of organised sports training within the framework of the Income-tax Act, 1961.

Representing Yakshit Yuva Pratishthana® before the ITAT, Panaji Bench, he personally undertook the research of relevant statutory provisions and judicial precedents and presented the Foundation’s case without engaging a lawyer. His arguments centred on the proposition that systematic sports training cannot be confined to physical exercise or competitive participation. Rather, it involves the structured development of knowledge, practical skills, mental faculties, discipline and character, all of which are integral dimensions of education.

The proceedings concerned the Foundation’s applications for registration under Sections 12AB and 80G of the Income-tax Act, 1961. The Tribunal concluded that systematic sports training involving the development of knowledge, skill, mind and character constitutes education within the meaning of Section 2(15) of the Act and allowed the Foundation’s appeals.

This outcome brought the educational significance of organised sports training into the context of Indian tax jurisprudence. It also reflected the importance of recognising the intellectual, developmental and character-building dimensions of structured sporting engagement.

The Pride of India Award 2026 acknowledges Taekwondo Master Rao’s wider contributions to sports and education, with this independent legal research and personal representation constituting a particularly distinctive aspect of his candidature. His work demonstrates how professional sporting knowledge, when combined with legal research and institutional engagement, can contribute to a broader understanding of the role of sport in society.

A significant contribution to Taekwondo in Belagavi and Karnataka

Taekwondo Master Shreepada R. Rao is among the pioneering figures in the organised development and institutional advancement of Taekwondo in Belagavi district. His contribution extends beyond coaching and athlete preparation to the establishment and strengthening of the district’s Taekwondo ecosystem, encompassing grassroots training, technical administration, competition management and institutional coordination.

Through his sustained professional engagement, he has played an instrumental role in advancing Taekwondo as an organised sporting discipline in Belagavi, contributing to the development of athletes, the conduct of structured competitions and the strengthening of technical and administrative mechanisms governing the sport. His leadership as the Chief Executive Officer of the Belagavi District Taekwondo Association and his technical leadership within the Karnataka Taekwondo Association have further positioned him in the institutional development of the discipline at district and state levels.

His contribution to Taekwondo in Belgaum, now officially known as Belagavi, is therefore not limited to his individual achievements as a coach or martial artist. It encompasses the wider task of nurturing the sport, developing sporting opportunities and strengthening the organisational framework through which athletes can progress from grassroots participation to competitive platforms.

Holding the World Taekwondo International Coach Level II qualification, Kukkiwon International 4th Dan Black Belt and an NSNIS-certified coaching qualification in Taekwondo, he possesses recognised professional credentials in the discipline. His experience includes participation in national and state championships, CBSE competitions, School Games Federation of India (SGFI) events and university-level sporting competitions. His expertise encompasses technical officiating, competition direction, tournament administration and athlete development.

For the Taekwondo fraternity in Belagavi district, his professional journey represents a sustained contribution to the establishment, administration and development of the discipline. His work reflects the role of pioneering sporting professionals in transforming a martial art into an organised sporting ecosystem supported by structured training, technical expertise and institutional administration.

Academic qualifications and research in sports governance

Complementing his professional sporting experience is an academic background spanning public administration, physical education and specialised sports coaching.

Taekwondo Master Rao holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, a Master of Physical Education & Sports (M.P.E.S.) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Coaching, specialising in Taekwondo. He is pursuing doctoral research in Sports Administration and Governance at East Bridge University, Paris, France.

His academic interests correspond with his professional engagement in sports governance, institutional administration, accountability and athlete development. This multidisciplinary foundation has enabled him to approach sport not merely as a competitive discipline but also as an institutional and educational undertaking.

His contribution to the proposition that Sport is Education is particularly illustrative of this approach, bringing together practical coaching experience, academic understanding and independent legal research.

Yakshit Yuva Pratishthana: Sport as an instrument of social transformation

As Founder and Chairman of Yakshit Yuva Pratishthana®, Taekwondo Master Rao has sought to translate his professional philosophy into community-oriented programmes.

Through the Foundation and Rao’s Yuva Academy, established in 2012 at Kakati in Belagavi district, he has promoted grassroots sports participation, athlete development, sports education, women’s safety, youth empowerment and community welfare.

The organisation’s approach is founded on the principle that sport can contribute to the development of discipline, resilience, ethical conduct and social responsibility among young people.

Its initiatives include KICK AND SHOUT: Self Defence Workshop, which promotes self-defence awareness and personal safety. These programmes reflect the application of sporting expertise to wider educational and social objectives.

The Foundation’s work in Belagavi illustrates how grassroots sports institutions can provide opportunities for young people to develop physical capabilities alongside personal and social competencies.

National and international recognitions

The Pride of India Award 2026 adds to a series of national and international recognitions received by Taekwondo Master Rao.

His distinctions include the World Sports Star Award 2022, induction into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame, USA, with recognition as Best Coach in Taekwondo, and induction into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame India in 2022.

He received the International Icon Award 2025 for his contributions to sports administration and social service, including women’s empowerment and rural sporting talent development. His achievements have also been recorded in the International World Records Book.

In January 2026, he was recognised as a Youth Icon at the Sthanika Brahmana Global Conference for his contributions to sports governance and humanitarian service.

His work has received formal commendation from Kitturu Rani Channamma University, Belagavi, for youth empowerment, sports promotion, community welfare and ethical sports administration. The Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate, Belagavi, has also officially recommended him for the National Youth Award.

The Pride of India Award was bestowed by Dr K. Venkatesan, Chairman of The Indian Forum for Social Leaders & Achievers and former Judge of the Tamil Nadu Judiciary.

Beyond medals: A wider vision for Indian sport

The recognition of Taekwondo Master Shreepada R. Rao represents a professional philosophy that connects sporting excellence with education, institutional accountability and public service.

His work in advancing the educational character of systematic sports training, particularly through his independent representation before the ITAT, gives his contribution a distinctive legal and institutional dimension. Equally significant is his pioneering role in the development of Taekwondo in Belagavi district, where his sustained involvement in grassroots training, athlete development, technical administration and sports governance has contributed to strengthening the organised sporting ecosystem. Together, these contributions reflect a professional journey that extends from the grassroots development of a sporting discipline to the wider recognition of sport as an instrument of education and social advancement.

For Belagavi and Karnataka’s sporting fraternity, Taekwondo Master Rao’s journey represents the contribution of a sporting pioneer whose work encompasses institution-building, professional sports administration, academic research and community development.

The Pride of India Award 2026 is therefore not merely another distinction in a sporting career. It brings national attention to a professional contribution that combines the pioneering development of Taekwondo in Belagavi with an important effort to advance the recognition of systematic sports training as education under Indian taxation law. It reinforces the larger proposition that sport must be understood as an important component of education, human development and nation-building.