The Sports Ministry announced on Thursday, January 2, that four athletes will receive the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award on January 17, including world chess champion D Gukesh and double Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker. Initially, Manu's name was not on the list of candidates for the country's highest sports award, the Khel Ratna.
Additionally, the Khel Ratna Award will be presented to Paralympian Praveen Kumar and Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh by President Droupadi Murmu on January 17 at a specially planned event at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Official Statement from the Ministry
According to a statement from the ministry, the Government has chosen to honor the following athletes, coaches, colleges, and organizations based on the Committee's recommendations and after careful consideration.
The athletes who will receive the Khel Ratna, Arjuna, and Dhronacharya honors on January 17 were listed by the Sports Ministry. The Khel Ratna Award will be given to four athletes, the Arjuna Award to thirty-two, and the Dhronacharya Award to three coaches.
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
A total of 4 sportspersons were selected for India’s most prestigious award in the sports category, i.e., Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award:
| Name | Sport |
| Shri Gukesh D | Chess |
| Shri Harmanpreet Singh | Hockey |
| Shri Praveen Kumar | Para-Athletics |
| Ms. Manu Bhakar | Shooting |
Arjuna Award
The government chose 32 athletes for Arjuna Award 2024:
| Name | Sport |
| Ms. Jyothi Yarraji | Athletics |
| Ms. Annu Rani | Athletics |
| Ms. Nitu | Boxing |
| Ms. Saweety | Boxing |
| Ms. Vantika Agrawal | Chess |
| Ms. Salima Tete | Hockey |
| Shri Abhishek | Hockey |
| Shri Sanjay | Hockey |
| Shri Jarmanpreet Singh | Hockey |
| Shri Sukhjeet Singh | Hockey |
| Shri Rakesh Kumar | Para-Archery |
| Ms. Preeti Pal | Para-Athletics |
| Ms. Jeevanji Deepthi | Para-Athletics |
| Shri Ajeet Singh | Para-Athletics |
| Shri Sachin Sarjerao Khilari | Para-Athletics |
| Shri Dharambir | Para-Athletics |
| Shri Pranav Soorma | Para-Athletics |
| Shri H Hokato Sema | Para-Athletics |
| Ms. Simran | Para-Athletics |
| Shri Navdeep | Para-Athletics |
| Shri Nitesh Kumar | Para-Badminton |
| Ms. Thulasimathi Murugesan | Para-Badminton |
| Ms. Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan | Para-Badminton |
| Ms. Manisha Ramadass | Para-Badminton |
| Shri Kapil Parmar | Para-Judo |
| Ms. Mona Agarwal | Para-Shooting |
| Ms. Rubina Francis | Para-Shooting |
| Shri Swapnil Suresh Kusale | Shooting |
| Shri Sarabjot Singh | Shooting |
| Shri Abhay Singh | Squash |
| Shri Sajan Prakash | Swimming |
| Shri Aman | Wrestling |
Arjuna Awards (Lifetime)
Check the name of the recipients of Lifetime Arjuna Awarda in the table below:
| Name | Sport |
| Shri Sucha Singh | Athletics |
| Shri Murlikant Rajaram Petkar | Para-Swimming |
Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches
Three coaches have been selected for the Dronacharya Award:
| Name | Sport |
| Shri Subhash Rana | Para-Shooting |
| Ms. Deepali Deshpande | Shooting |
| Shri Sandeep Sangwan | Hockey |
Dronacharya Award (Lifetime Category)
The following coaches have been selected for Dronacharya Award under lifetime category:
| Name | Sport |
| Shri S Muralidharan | Badminton |
| Shri Armando Agnelo Colaco | Football |
Controversy Around Khel Ratna 2024
However the exclusion of Manu Bhaker from the list of nominees for the esteemed Khel Ratna Award sparked a storm. Manu Bhaker's coach Jaspal Rana, and her father expressed their displeasure with the lapse and blasted the athletic authorities for failing to nominate her following her Olympic-year accomplishments.
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