Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ceremony, which is the highest sporting honour in India is going to be held on January 17, 2025. To honour the remarkable athletes of the country, the awards will be presented to Double Olympic medalists at the Paris Olympics 2024 Manu Bhaker and world chess champion D Gukesh, among four athletes.
“The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organised function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17th January 2025 (Friday) at 1100 hours,” the sports ministry stated in a press release.
“Based on the recommendations of the Committee and after due scrutiny, the government has decided to confer awards upon the following sportspersons, coaches, university, and entity,” the ministry statement added.
4 Athletes To Be Honoured With Khel Ratna Award in January 2025
Manu Bhaker
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The 22-year-old Bhaker who became Independent India’s first athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics will be awarded with Khel Ratna.
Harmanpreet Kaur
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In the Paris Olympics 2024, Harmanpreet won the Indian hockey team's second consecutive bronze medal.
D Gukesh
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The 18-year-old Gukesh who became the youngest ever World champion and brought home a historic gold in the Chess Olympiad last year will receive the Khel Ratna.
Praveen Kumar
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The para high-jumper Praveen Kumar is the fourth recipient of the Khel Ratna Award. He won the T64 championship in the Paris Paralympics, which is for athletes who have one or both legs missing below the knees and rely on a prosthetic leg for running.
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Manu Bhaker On Her Name Being Missing On The List Of Khel Ratna Nominees
As per reports, there was a huge uproar after some news reports claimed that Manu’s name was missing from the list of athletes nominated for the Khel Ratna Award. Manu Bhaker's father, Ram Kishan, and coach, Jaspal Rana, were outraged over her snub. However, Manu took a more introspective approach, acknowledging that she might have made an error while submitting her nomination.
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“With regard to the ongoing issue of 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 keep 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 wrote in a post on X.
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