Manu Bhaker, a 22-year-old shooter, was initially excluded from the list of nominees for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award due to a possible lapse in the application process. Despite her impressive achievements, including two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, she was excluded from the list of nominees.
Sanjay Singh, Chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), accused the procedure and the committee responsible of 'favoritism' and 'ignorance' for not including Manu Bhaker's name in this list. However, clarifying these accusations, the Sports Ministry stated that Manu's name was excluded due to a possible lapse on her part while filling out the application process. After a week-long of confusion and public outcry, she was finally added to the list of recipients.
Criticizing the officials, the WFI Chief commented, "The officials discuss who to award Bharat Ratna or Khel Ratna... You must have seen Manu Bhaker's name was not there even after winning two medals, and after the movement was started, she did get included. Officials sit and try to include their favorite people in the list of Khel Ratna."
Manu Bhaker has brought laurels to the nation at the age of 22. She has won two Olympic medals, seven Asian Championship medals, and 21 World Championships and World Cup medals. She became the first Indian woman to win two medals in a single Olympic Games.
Olympic shooter Manu Bhaker, chess prodigy D Gukesh, men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, and para-athlete Praveen Kumar will be honored with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award on January 17, 2025, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
