NEW DELHI: Double Olympic medallist shooter Manu Bhaker’s name missing from the recommendation list of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award has created a furore. Caught on the back-foot, the sports ministry is now considering nominating her name for the country’s highest sporting honour by using its executive powers vested in the provisions of the National Sports Day awards scheme, TOI has learnt.
Manu created history at the Paris Games 2024 after clinching back-to-back medals (bronze) in the women’s individual 10m air pistol and in the mixed team event partnering Sarabjot Singh, cementing her place as one of the greatest Indian athletes in Olympic sports. 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 – as highlighted by TOI in its exclusive report on Monday – thus came as a huge surprise. The 12-member selection committee failed to take cognizance of her incredible achievements during the awards cycle period, where she won several medals at major multisport and international events.
The committee recommended ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh, who captained the Indian men’s hockey team to a bronze medal-finish 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.
The authorities forgot that in the past, Olympic medallists were awarded the Khel Ratna upon their return to the country right after their successful campaign at the Summer Games. In 2021, all the medallists from the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games – who had not yet been awarded the Khel Ratna – were awarded with the honour by the govt. Strangely, the same gesture or rule wasn’t applied in the case of a deserving athlete as Manu.
While the officials in the ministry claimed that the shooter didn’t apply for the award, Manu’s father Ram Bhaker maintained that she had indeed sent in her application. The point is, even if Manu had not applied for the award, why did the selection panel fail to take cognizance of her stupendous achievements as a shooter over the years?
It’s been learnt that the ministry might invoke Articles 5.1 and 5.2 of the ‘Scheme for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award’ which state: “Sportspersons eligible in accordance with award guidelines will be permitted to self-apply without the recommendation of the authorities/persons. Notwithstanding the above, the government reserves the right to nominate up to two nominations in deserving cases.”
According to sources, sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya is expected to go through the names of Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyanchand nominees and give his approval to the list on Wednesday. Sources said the minister, who has been travelling, has already been informed about the controversy surrounding Manu’s exclusion from the list.
Shooting federation approaches ministry
While the scheme provides that applicants should self-apply on the ministry’s portal for awards, the respective national sports federation (NSF) of athletes can also send the names of deserving sportspersons to the ministry online by filling up the details. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) did not nominate Manu for the Khel Ratna when ideally it should have.
A source in the federation told TOI that it has now approached the ministry with a request to include Manu’s name.
“Manu said she had applied on the portal. If that was the case, then the committee must have considered her name. Whatever the situation, the federation has approached the ministry and requested the officials to include her name,” the source said.
Manu applies for Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri
Whether Manu’s name will feature in the final list of Khel Ratna awardees is yet to be seen, but it can be confirmed that she has also applied for the country’s third and fourth highest civilian awards – Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, respectively. Manu’s twin applications for these awards are in possession of TOI. She applied on the Padma awards’ portal on Sep 15.
Father lambasts ministry, committee
Manu’s father on Monday lambasted 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. 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 govt 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’,” Bhaker told TOI.
RICH HAUL OF MEDALS IGNORED
The govt’s note of October 24, 2024 inviting applications for Khel Ratna says: “To be eligible for Khel Ratna award, the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years immediately preceding the year during which award is to be given will be considered for award for excellence in sports and games at international level i.e. Olympic/Paralympics/Asian/Commonwealth Games/Championships/World Cup/World Championships and equivalent recognised international tournaments. Accordingly, sports achievements for the period from January 1, 2020, up to the conclusion of the Olympics/Paralympics Games 2024 will be taken into consideration.”
During this four-year awards cycle, Manu won several international medals of repute, the twin Olympic bronze medals in Paris topping the chart. During the period, Manu won 17 gold, six silver and five bronze medals spread across different editions of shooting World Championships, World Cups, Asian Games, Asian Championships, Junior World Championships, Junior World Cup and World University Games.
OTHER OLYMPIC MEDALLISTS ALSO NOT IN KHEL RATNA LIST
Except for Harmanpreet Singh, not a single Paris Olympic medallist was recommended for the Khel Ratna by the committee. Even the bronze-winning shooting duo of Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh and wrestler Aman Sehrawat were not considered for the award and were instead recommended for Arjuna – the second highest sporting honour.
In 2021, all the medallists (gold, silver & bronze) from Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics – who weren’t honoured with the Khel Ratna previously – were given the award by the ministry.