Manu Bhaker's surprise omission from the recommendation list of the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna, the highest sporting honour of India, has raised many eyebrows. (More Sports News)
However, despite her historic achievements, the Haryana born was apparently not considered for the prestigious Khel Ratna. A report in the Times of India cited sports ministry officials as saying that Bhaker had not applied for the award. However, the same report also quoted a source saying that the shooter had applied.
The development has yet again put the focus back on the Khel Ratna award and its selection criteria and process. Let us take a look at how all of this works.
What is Khel Ratna award?
Khel Ratna is the highest sporting honour given to an athlete by the Government of India. It was instituted in 1992 and the first recipient of this award was chess great Viswanathan Anand. It was previously called the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna but in 2021 was renamed after hockey great Major Dhyan Chand. The award consists of a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.
Why is Khel Ratna award given?
The Khel Ratna is given to the athlete with "spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years". It was earlier given after judging annual performances but since 2015 the time period has been extended to four years.
Khel Ratna nomination process
The National Sports Federations, the Indian Olympic Association, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Sports Promotion and Control Boards, and the state and the union territory governments can all send nominees for the award. However not more than two nominees can be sent for each sports.
If a deserving sportsperson is not nominated, the Central government can also take suo motu cognisance of their achievements and nominate the player.
Khel Ratna selection criteria
All the nominations are then sent to SAI and NADA. SAI has to verify the claimed sporting achievements while NADA checks the doping clearances. Athletes with doping violations or ongoing inquiries for prohibited substances are not considered.
Once the nominations are cleared, a committee of 12 members appointed by the Sports Ministry judges the credentials of the athletes. The committee consists of elite sportspersons who have previously received the award, seasoned journalists, experts, administrators, Director General of SAI, and the Joint Secretary of Department of Sports. Care is taken to not include more than one athlete from a particular sport.
The athletes are then judged as per their performances over a period of last four years. The medals won at Olympics, Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games count heavily in favour of the nominated athlete. A point system is created and athletes are marked according to their performances. For team sports, the strength of the team is considered.
For a given discipline, not more than two sportspersons, one male and one female, are given highest marks. On the basis of these marks, the committee submits recommendations to the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports for further approval.
