Manpreet added to Khel Ratna winners; sports activities ministry okays 35 Arjuna awardees

Olympic bronze-winning Indian males’s hockey staff captain Manpreet Singh was on Tuesday added to the checklist of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awardees, taking the overall variety of this 12 months’s winners to an unparalleled 12, with the ceremony scheduled for November 13 on the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Manpreet was initially advisable for the Arjuna award however he joined veteran goalkeeper P R Sreejesh because the second hockey participant within the checklist of awardees for the very best sporting honour.
The different outstanding Khel Ratna winners this 12 months embody Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and Olympic silver-medallist wrestler Ravi Dahiya.
Among 35 Arjuna awardees are most of India’s Paralympic medal winners and cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Mithali Raj.
“The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized function at the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan on 13th November, 2021 (Saturday) at 1630 hrs,” the sports activities ministry introduced.
It was held on-line final 12 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Khel Ratna award is given for the spectacular and most excellent performances by a sportsperson over a interval of earlier 4 years.
Given the unprecedented Olympic and Paralympic efficiency, the variety of awardees was anticipated to be excessive this 12 months.
India received seven medals within the Olympics and notched up 19 medals, together with 5 gold, eight silver and 6 bronze medals on the Paralympics within the nation’s finest ever present on the two sporting extravaganzas.
A complete of 10 coaches had been picked for the Dronacharya awards.
In the life-time achievement class, T. P. Ouseph (Athletics), Sarkar Talwar (Cricket), Sarpal Singh (Hockey), Ashan Kumar (Kabaddi) and Tapan Kumar Panigrahi (Swimming) had been picked for the honour.
The winners within the common Dronacharya class had been: Radhakrishnan Nair P (Athletics), Sandhya Gurung (Boxing), Pritam Siwach (Hockey), Jai Prakash Nautiyal (Para Shooting) and Subramanian Raman (Table Tennis).
Gurung, moreover being an assistant coach within the nationwide camp, can also be the non-public coach of Olympic bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain, who will obtain the Khel Ratna only a 12 months after being bestowed the Arjuna award.
Sajjan Singh (Wrestling) was chosen for Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime achievement together with former world and Asian champion boxer Lekha Ok.C, Abhijeet Kunte (Chess), Davinder Singh Garcha (Hockey) and Vikas Kumar (Kabaddi).
This 12 months’s awards choice committee was headed by Justice (Retd.) Mukundakam Sharma (former Judge of Supreme Court) and included three-time Paralympic medal-winning javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, former cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, and ex-world champion boxer L Sarita Devi amongst others.
The awardees:
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award:
Neeraj Chopra (Athletics), Ravi Kumar(Wrestling), Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing), P.R Sreejesh (Hockey), Avani Lekhara (Para Shooting), Sumit Antil (Para Athletics), Pramod Bhagat (Para Badminton), Krishna Nagar (Para Badminton), Manish Narwal (Para Shooting), Mithali Raj (Cricket), Sunil Chhetri (Football), Manpreet Singh (Hockey).
Arjuna Awards:
Arpinder Singh (Athletics), Simranjit Kaur (Boxing), Shikhar Dhawan (Cricket), CA Bhavani Devi (Fencing), Monika (Hockey), Vandana Katariya (Hockey), Sandeep Narwal (Kabaddi), Himani Uttam Parab (Mallakhamb), Abhishek Verma (Shooting), Ankita Raina (Tennis), Deepak Punia (Wrestling), Dilpreet Singh (Hockey), Harman Preet Singh (Hockey), Rupinder Pal Singh (Hockey), Surender Kumar (Hockey), Amit Rohidas (Hockey), Birendra Lakra (Hockey), Sumit (Hockey), Nilakanta Sharma (Hockey), Hardik Singh (Hockey), Vivek Sagar Prasad (Hockey), Gurjant Singh (Hockey), Mandeep Singh (Hockey), Shamsher Singh (Hockey), Lalit Kumar Upadhyay (Hockey), Varun Kumar (Hockey), Simranjeet Singh (Hockey), Yogesh Kathuniya (Para Athletics) Nishad Kumar (Para Athletics), Praveen Kumar(Para Athletics), Suhash Yathiraj (Para Badminton) Singhraj Adhana (Para Shooting), Bhavina Patel (Para Table Tennis), Harvinder Singh (Para Archery) and Sharad Kumar (Para Athletics).
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar:
Manav Rachna Educational Institution and Indian Oil Corporation Limited for encouragement to sports activities by way of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy:
Panjab University, Chandigarh.