Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker’s name is missing from the list of nominees for India’s highest sports award – Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna – and it has created a furore.
The sports ministry, according to the Times of India, is now considering nominating her for the award by using its executive powers vested in the provisions of the National Sports Day awards scheme.
The shooter created history at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August by clinching bronze medals in the women’s individual 10m air pistol and mixed team event partnering Sarabjot Singh.
The 22-year-old from Haryana’s Jhajjar district became the first Indian to achieve such a feat at a single Olympic edition since India attained independence.
Her omission from the list of athletes recommended for the Khel Ratna thus came as a huge surprise.
The 12-member selection committee failed to take note of her incredible achievements over the past year, when she won 17 gold, six silver and five bronze medals at major multisports and international events.
The committee recommended hockey player Harmanpreet Singh, who captained the Indian men’s team to a bronze medal in Paris, and para-athlete Praveen Kumar, who won gold in the men’s high jump T64 class with an Asian record at the Paris Paralympics, for the Khel Ratna.
In the past, all Olympic medallists were awarded the Khel Ratna the same year. In 2021, all the medallists from the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games were given the honour.
While the officials in the sports ministry claimed that Manu didn’t apply for the award, her father Ram Bhaker maintained that she had indeed sent in her application.
On Dec 23, Manu’s father slammed the ministry and selection committee for ignoring his child’s achievements.
“I regret putting her in the sport of shooting. I should have instead made her a cricketer. Then, all the awards and accolades would have come her way,” he said. “She won two Olympic medals in a single edition, no one has ever done that. What else do you expect my child to do for the country?
“The government must recognise her efforts. I spoke to Manu, and she was disheartened by all this. She told me ‘I shouldn’t have gone to the Olympics and won medals for the country. In fact, I shouldn’t have become a sportsperson’.”
According to The Times of India, the sports ministry might invoke Articles 5.1 and 5.2 of the Scheme for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award to nominate Manu as she is a “deserving case”.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya is expected to make a decision soon.
