New Delhi: The coveted Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is unlikely to be bestowed upon any sportsperson this year as the Selection Committee has decided not to recommend any names for the award.
Athletes Vikas Gowda, Krishna Poonia, Somdev Devvarman, Jeev Milkha Singh, PV Sindhu and Devendra Jhajariya were shortlisted for the country's highest sporting award.
The 12-member selection committee, headed by legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, decided not to name any sportsperson out of the seven candidates for the Khel Ratna at a meeting in New Delhi.
This is the third time no sportsperson has been named for the Khel Ratna since the inception of the country's highest sporting award in 1991.
"The selection panel examined the seven names placed before them for the consideration of Khel Ratna but none of them were deserving enough to get the nod," a selection panel member told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
"We discussed each and every seven names for the Khel Ratna Award. The longest discussion was in case of on golfer Jeev Milkha Singh after Kapil mentioned his name but ultimately the panel decided against his name," the member said.
It is also learnt that Somdev Devvarman's 2011 Arjuna Award went against him while considering his name for the Khel Ratna as some panel members felt that he has not achieved much success after that year.
The selection panel members for the Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award included the likes of Anju Bobby George and Kunjarani Devi, both of the highest sporting honour themselves, two media persons and three from the government side, including Sports Authority of India Director General Jiji Thomson.
Even as the Khel Ratna is not likely to be conferred on any sportsperson, 15 sportspersons have been recommended by the Selection Committee for the Arjuna Award.
These include Akhilesh Varma (Archery), Tintu Luka (Athletics), HN Girisha (Paralympics), V Diju (Badminton), Geetu Ann Jose (Basketball), Jai Bhagwan (Boxing), R Ashwin (Cricket), Anirban Lahiri (Golf), Mamta Pujari (Kabaddi), Saji Thomas (Rowing), Heena Sidhu (Shooting), Anaka Alankamany (Squash), Tom Joseph (Volleyball), Renubala Chanu (Weightlifting) and Sunil Rana (Wrestling).
(With inputs from PTI)
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