The BCCI this year hasn't forwarded any name for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the highest honour for active sportspersons in the country, since the Indian cricket board didn't find any fitting cricketer for the award.
It's been seven years since a chess player got the Arjuna award and the iconic Viswanathan Anand is hoping that India's triumphant campaign at the online Chess Olympiad will change this when the national sporting honours are announced next year.
The 36-year-old Jhajharia, who is the first Indian to win two Paralympic gold medals, was the first choice of the awards selection committee.
Coaches Jayanta Pushilal and S Raman have been nominated for the Dronacharya honour.
Ferreira will head the committee for the Dronacharya Award, Ahluwalia be in charge of the one that will select sportspersons for the Arjuna and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards.
It was a celebration of woman power in sports as Olympic stars PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Dipa Karmakar were on Monday conferred India's highest sporting honour -- the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- along with shooter Jitu Rai in a gleaming awards ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
Natekar, who was considered one of most popular sportspersons of his time, was also a former World number three.
The player is survived by wife and two children.
Naresh Kumar, who famously mentored a young Leander Paes as India's Davis Cup captain, has passed away.
A Padma Shri and Arjuna Award recipient, Kaur Singh Singh represented India in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Legendary sprinter Milkha Singh criticised boxer Sarita Devi for refusing to accept the bronze medal during the Incheon Asian Games victory ceremony last year, saying it was not proper to protest that way.
Bajrang Punia had won gold medals at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games last year.
The former India football captain said the onus is on the strikers to deliver against Bangladesh on October 15 in Kolkata.
It was a "moment to cherish" for Pramod Bhagat who on Saturday clinched India's first badminton gold in Paralympics and he attributed his win against Great Britain's Daniel Bethell in the finals to a strategy that he devised after losing to the same opponent in the past.
'It is Bajrang Punia's personal decision to return the Padma Shri. The WFI polls were held in fair and democratic manner. We will still try to persuade Bajrang to reverse his decision to return Padma Shri.'
Reigning World champion Pramod Bhagat continued India's fine showing at the Tokyo Paralympics with a gold medal in the badminton SL3 class event, in Tokyo, on Saturday. The 33-year-old Bhagat, who is also the world No. 1 and current Asian champion, scored a 21-11, 21-16 win over Japan's Daisuke Fujihara in the first SL3 class semi-final, which lasted 36 minutes.
'You broke the boundary of what it meant to be an Indian woman and the wife of a diplomat. 'You did not serve tea or sit idly by as men spoke about business matters -- a trope I have seen much too often in Indian and Indian-American households. 'You followed your dreams.'
The Indian football team jumped four places to be at 148th spot in the latest FIFA rankings released today, on the back of an impressive 4-1 win over higher-ranked Puerto Rico in Mumbai last week.
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) suspended Asian Games gold medallist boxer N Dingko Singh pending inquiry after he allegedly assaulted a woman weightlifter in Manipur.
Verma wins compound individual gold, opens tally for India.
Asian Games gold medallist Jitu Rai has been recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for his exploits in pistol shooting in the last two years although he couldn't win a medal in the Rio Olympics. "Yes, we have recommended Jitu's name for Khel Ratna award," National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary Rajiv Bhatia said. NRAI has also recommended woman rifle shooter Apurvi Chanela and men rifle shooters Gurpreet Singh and PN Prakash for the Arjuna Awards, according to Bhatia.
Rio Paralympcs silver medallist remains upset over being ignored for Khel Ratna this year and feels exception should have been made by the awards committee, like it had done in 2016.
Women dominated this year's Padma awards for sports with tennis star Sania Mirza and ace shuttler Saina Nehwal getting the nod for the Padma Bhushan, while archer Deepika Kumari was chosen for the Padma Shri in New Delhi, on Monday.
Surajlata Devi claimed that she has proof of domestic violence and her husband cannot escape from law.
India's legendary sprinter Milkha Singh said on Wednesday that doping is like cancer and the government needs to take some strict measures to curb this menace.
Ravaged by injuries, India's star singles player Somdev Devvarman announced his retirement from professional tennis, bringing an abrupt end to what was once a promising career.
Embarrassed by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh's failure to turn up for the Padma Shri awards last Wednesday, the government issued a notification saying National sports awards, like the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dhronacharya and Dhyanchand, will be withdrawn if the recipient is absent from the ceremony without intimation.
Hockey coach Ramesh Parameswaran applies for Dronacharya Award
On December 1, the divas of the fashion industry came together to pledge their support to eradicate the stigma and discrimination towards HIV and AIDS victims.
Former World No 1 Srikanth, who has not won a title at the BWF World Tour in the last 22 months, staved off a spirited a challenge from Ireland's Nhat Nguyen, winning 17-21, 21-16, 21-6 in a match that lasted an hour and six minutes to join Praneeth and Prannoy in the second round.
Disappointed at being ignored for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, top woman discus thrower Krishna Poonia on Wednesday went to see Sports Minister Jitendra Singh to express her displeasure over the issue but failed to meet him.
India's shooting ace Apurvi Chandela attained the World No 1 position in the women's 10m air rifle event while compatriot Anjum Moudgil rose to second.
India's ace shooter Manu Bhaker on Tuesday received her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a government hospital in Jhajjar, Haryana, three months before the Tokyo Olympics where she will enter as one of India's brightest medal hopes.
The All India Football Federation is set to recommend Sunil Chhetri for the country's fourth highest civilian award -- the Padma Shri -- a huge recognition for the nation's all-time leading goal-scorer should he get the honour.
Tennis star Leander Paes and badminton player-turned-coach Pullela Gopichand were selected for the prestigious Padma Bhushan awards while cricketer Yuvraj Singh was among the seven sportspersons chosen for this year's Padma Shri award.
Sania also received warm birthday greetings from other cricketers and Bollywood celebrities.
Dingko Singh is battling liver cancer.
Sania Mirza was recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award on Tuesday. She is only the second tennis player ever to be named for the country's highest sporting honour.
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