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Controversy over Reported Exclusion of Manu Bhaker from List of “Khel Ratna” Awardees

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Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Dec 24: The reported exclusion from the list of nominated athletes for this year’s Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award of the ace shooter Manu Bhaker, the double Olympic medallist, has sparked off a row in the sports circle in the country with the union sports ministry coming under scrutiny for the omission.

Reacting for the first time on the issue, Ms Bhaker in a social media post on Tuesday requested people not to speculate on the issue and said though awards and recognition were a source of motivation to try to do still better, it was not her goal. She said ‘irrespective of the award’ she would continue to try to win more medals for the country. She also said it could be a fault on her part in filling the nomination for the Khel Ratna award.

“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 keeps 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,” Manu Bhaker wrote in a post on X.

In a strong reaction, her father Ram Kishan Bhaker, a chief engineer in Merchant Navy, lambasted the government underlining the “blind eye” the country turns to every type of athlete except for cricketers. “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,” Ram Kishan said.

“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’.”

While the sports ministry has said that the 22-year-old shooter did not apply for the Khel Ratna, her family differs from the statement.

“She has been applying for various awards like Padma Shri for the last four years. So why wouldn’t she apply this year?” questioned Mr Ram Kishan. According to him, in the last few years, Manu had submitted 49 cash award applications which she was entitled to, but all the 49 applications had been rejected.

Earlier her personal coach Jaspal Rana castigated the Sports Ministry, Sports Authority of India and the National Rifle Association of India. He said he hold all of them responsible for ‘ignoring’ his ward for the highest sporting honour in India.

“I will hold all of them responsible. How can anyone even say Manu did not apply? She made history by becoming the first Indian to win two Olympic medals in the same Olympics. Her name should have been there automatically. Don’t the people at the helm know who Manu Bhaker is and what are her credentials? This humiliation might just affect her progress,” Rana said.

The Khel Ratna is awarded to athletes with exceptional performances. With Manu’s name missing, despite being the first Indian athlete since independence to win two Olympic medals in a single edition of the Games, the Sports Ministry came under scrutiny. The national coach felt the “new requirement” where sportspersons have to apply directly for the awards was not in the best interest of sports, and was a bit demeaning.

The ministry norms allow athletes to self-nominate instead of relying on the federations and other institutions for it. The selection committee is, however, allowed to consider names which may not be among the applicants. While the ministry claimed that Bhaker did not apply for the award, her father Ram Kishan Bhaker, said the youngster had followed the due process.

The youngster is the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics. She won her bronze medals in the 10m air pistol individual and 10m air pistol mixed team (with Sarabjot Singh) events in Paris in August.

The controversy raged when reports in India suggested that Bhaker, the first Indian to win two awards in one Olympics, was excluded from the list of Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awardees. In an interesting development, a top sports ministry source has also asserted that no application of Bhaker had been received through the standard procedure as of yet. However, it was also mentioned that the Minister can recommend two more names over and above for the committee recommendations. It is believed that the final list of candidates who qualify for the awards are likely to be announced in a couple of days.