Double Olympic Medallist Manu Bhaker Excluded From Khel Ratna Nomination: Report

Paris Olympics medallist Manu Bhaker has been excluded from the list of nominees for India's highest sporting honour, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.

The 12-member National Sports Day committee, chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice V. Ramasubramaniam, did not recommend the shooter for the prestigious accolade, reported India Today.

While the Sports Ministry reportedly claimed that Manu Bhaker did not apply for the award, her father, Ramakrishna, stated they had submitted an application but had not received any response from the committee.

Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and para-athlete Praveen Kumar were among the nominees for the Khel Ratna award.

Speaking with India Today, Ramakrishna expressed his frustration, saying, "What's the point of winning two medals in a single Olympics if you have to beg for awards?"

He added, "One government official is making decisions, and committee members are silent, not giving their opinion. I don't understand. Is this how you encourage athletes?"

"We applied for the award but have heard nothing from the committee. Why are parents encouraging their children to pursue sports? They should push them to become IRS officers instead," he said.

Manu Bhaker was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2020. Notably, Mohammed Shami received the Arjuna Award earlier this year, despite not applying for it. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) intervened and pushed for his case, prompting the National Sports Award committee to take suo-motu cognisance.

Manu Bhaker played a key role in India's performance at the Paris Olympics, where the country won six medals, just one short of the record set in London 2012. Manu won two bronze medals - one in the women's 10m air pistol event and another alongside Sarabjot Singh in the mixed 10m pistol event.

Manu, who was criticised for India's shooting failures in the Tokyo Olympics, made a strong comeback by winning two medals in Paris.

Recently, she also hit back at trolls who had criticised her for wearing her Olympic medals at every promotional event following her success at the Games.