Mithali Raj, Neeraj Chopra For Khel Ratna Award

Indian woman cricketer Mithali Raj, Olympics Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra and 9 other Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics medal winners are recommended for country’s highest sporting honour, Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna.

This year, the government of India has delayed the announcement of the national sports awards in order to consider the performance of the para-athletes at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Indian football star Sunil Chhetri, boxer Lovlina Borgohain, who won a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, shooter Avani Lekhara and Manish Narwal, javelin thrower Sumit Antil, badminton players Pramod Bhagat and Krishna Nagar, all have won a gold each in the Tokyo Paralympics and they are part of the Khel Ratna awards list.

Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan and members of the men’s hockey team who won the Bronze medal after four decades at Tokyo Olympics will also receive the Arjuna Award from the GoI.

The BCCI has nominated Mithali Raj’s name back in June and if she is honoured with Khel Ratna, she will become the first Indian woman cricketer to receive the highest sporting award.