Manu Bhaker to Father: 'I Shouldn't Have Gone to Olympics' After Khel Ratna Snub

No mention of Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker's name on the list of sportspersons nominated for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award stirred controversy this week. Responding to the stir, Bhaker said, "I think I deserve it, let the country decide."

The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award is the highest sports award in India. By winning a bronze medal in individual competitions 10m air pistol and mixed team events 10m air pistol, Bhaker became the first Indian athlete to achieve two medals in a single edition of the Olympics in August.

Even though she made a historic achievement, the alleged omission of putting her name in the list of national honors shocked her family.

Manu's father Ram Kishan said that Manu was "disheartened" over the matter. "She told me ‘ I shouldn't have gone to the Olympics and won medals for the country. In fact, I shouldn't have become a sportsperson'."

He reportedly said he regretted putting her in the sport of shooting. " I should have instead made her a cricketer. Then, all the awards and accolades would have come her way. She won two Olympic medals in a single edition; no one has ever done that. What else do you expect my child to do for the country? The government must recognise her efforts," he was quoted.

'Some orders were being followed'

Bhaker's father Ram Kishan said, "all is not well with the committee which decides the national sports awards.”

"Despite such a fantastic performance, if Manu is not recommended for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, then I am forced to believe that all is not well in the committee, or some orders were being followed," he noted.

Further, "If we are to make India a sporting hub, then Olympic medalists, and Olympians in general, should be given respect and encouraged rather than discourage them with decisions like these," he added.

The controversy in detail

The sports ministry said, although the 22-year-old shooter did not apply Khel Ratna, her family had another story to tell. The girl has gone through all necessary proceedings, said her father Ram Kishan Bhaker, a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Navy.

"She had been applying for all awards, say Khel Ratna, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan for the last two-three years continuously and I have proof of that. This time too, I am confident she would have applied but I can't show anything as I am at sea right now," Ram Kishan told.

Bhaker's father said that there is no value in playing Olympic sports in India because despite winning two medals in an Olympics, Manu has not been selected for the Khel Ratna award. "There is no point in playing and winning rewards for your country and in turn beg for recognition," he added..

Ministry sources stated that "There is no final list of nominees at this point. Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya will decide on the recommendations in a day or two and her name, in all likelihood, will be there in the final list."

Former Supreme Court judge Justice V Ramasubramam heads the 12-member award selection committee that also incorporates famous personalities from sports, notably among others former women's hockey captain Rani Rampal.