The sports activities ministry and the 12-member awards committee confronted criticism over the preliminary list of Khel Ratna award nominees. However, a ministry official clarified this saying, “this is not the final list, there is a process involved.”
Following the controversy over Manu Bhaker’s absence from the preliminary list of candidates for the celebrated Khel Ratna award, it has been reported that her name is probably going to be added within the list. The final determination will be made by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya within the upcoming days.
The present list consists of solely Harmanpreet Singh, captain of the Indian males’s hockey staff, and Praveen Kumar, a para excessive leap athlete who gained gold on the Paris Paralympics and silver on the Tokyo Games. Bhaker, who made historical past by profitable two medals on the Paris Olympics earlier this yr, was anticipated to be included, main to vital backlash over her omission.
The sports activities ministry and the 12-member awards committee confronted criticism over the preliminary list of Khel Ratna award nominees. However, a ministry official clarified this saying, “this is not the final list, there is a process involved.”
The awards choice committee, chaired by retired Supreme Court choose Justice V. Ramasubramanian, consists of notable members equivalent to former girls’s hockey captain Rani Rampal, boxer Vijender Singh, and cricket legend Anil Kumble. The committee is answerable for reviewing purposes submitted for the awards but additionally has the authority to focus on names that won’t be on the official list if deemed crucial.
On Monday, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) despatched a letter to Secretary of Sports, Sujata Chaturvedi, requesting that the ministry think about Manu Bhaker for the Khel Ratna award on “exceptional grounds.”
In an interview with HT, NRAI president Kalikesh Singh Deo mentioned, “We don’t even know if she applied or not, but if she did, I don’t think the committee had any reason to not consider her. If she didn’t apply, there’s nothing the committee could’ve done. We’re hopeful the ministry understands our point of view and gives her the award she so thoroughly deserves.”
Manu Bhaker’s assertion
Taking concerning the matter publicly on Tuesday, Manu Bhaker mentioned, “With regards to ongoing issue for my nomination for the most prestigious Khel Ratna award, I would like to state that as an athlete, my role is to play and perform for my country. Awards and recognition keep me motivated but are not my goal. I believe there has been a lapse, maybe on my part while filing for the nomination which is being corrected. Irrespective of the award, I shall remain motivated to win more medals for my country. It is a request to everyone, please do not speculate on this matter,” Bhaker wrote.
Bhaker secured bronze medals in each the person 10m air pistol occasion and the 10m air pistol blended staff occasion (alongside Sarabjot Singh) on the Paris Olympics.
