New Delhi: Winners in different fields of sport will be honoured at the Rasthrapati Bhawan on Saturday with one of the country's highest sporting honours. Saina Nehwal will be among the Arjuna awardees in a list that also includes Gautam Gambhir. But for the three Khel Ratna winners, it was a case of having to speak out to get their due.
Boxer Vijender Kumar and the 23 other athletes will enter the Ashoka hall at the Rashtrapati Bhawan for a glittering awards ceremony on Saturday. While for some the opportunity has come after a long wait, for others the awards are tremendous encouragement for their budding careers.
The country's highest sports honour, the Khel Ratna, is being shared by three recipients for the very first time, but there haven't been too many complaints about it being devalued, given how deserving all the three candidates are.
Olympics bronze medalist in wrestling Sushil Kumar said, "It was important to get the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. If someone deserves it he should get it. I am happy to get it because this is the biggest for an Indian sportsman."
However, it's still sad that both Vijender and Sushil had to fight to be recognized. The Beijing heroes were upset after being ignored for the Padma Shri. That award ironically is considered higher than the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna because its given by the government and not the sports ministry.
Vijendra Kumar, Olympics bronze medalist in boxing, said, "I may not look angry but I am still angry about not getting the Padma Shri."
Similarly, boxer MC Mary Kom lashed out in the media after being overlooked for the award last year in favour of MS Dhoni.
But now, the mother of two, whose twins seems to be following in her footsteps, is thrilled and looking forward to getting a medal for India, now that women's boxing is in the Olympics.
Among the Arjuna awardees, one of the star attractions will be Saina Nehwal. The world number 7 badminton player has come off a disappointing World Championships by her standards but rest assured she's a future Khel Ratna winner.
"It is very important for me as I have been playing well. Something should be there for encouragement. I want to train harder and win medals for the country. I wish I get many more awards like that and for that I have to train hard. I think I am on the right track and am really excited to get the award," Nehwal said.
Although the controversies around the awards have dimmed a bit in recent years, there are still glaring omissions such as Baichung Bhutia not getting a Khel Ratna as yet or Narain Karthikeyan not getting an Arjuna Award till now because the sports ministry does not recognise motor racing as a sport.