Paralympians Shine as Khel Ratna Goes to Praveen Kumar, Gukesh, Manu Bhaker, and Harmanpreet Singh

In a historic move, the National Sports Awards this year feature more Paralympians than able-bodied athletes, reflecting India’s remarkable Paralympics campaign. Paris Games gold medallist Praveen Kumar is among those awarded the nation’s highest sporting honor, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.

Joining Praveen on the Khel Ratna list are chess world champion D Gukesh, Olympic double-medallist shooter Manu Bhaker, and hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, who led the team to consecutive podium finishes, the Sports Ministry announced on Thursday.

The awards also include 32 Arjuna Awardees, with 17 being Paralympians.

The Khel Ratna honorees will each receive ₹25 lakh, a citation, and a medallion. Arjuna Award winners will be given ₹15 lakh, a statuette, and a citation. The ceremony is scheduled for January 17 in New Delhi.

India’s first Paralympic gold medallist, Murlikant Petkar, who won the 50m freestyle event at the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics, will receive the Arjuna Award (Lifetime). Petkar’s journey from sustaining bullet wounds during the 1965 India-Pakistan war to becoming a Paralympic champion was recently depicted in the biopic Chandu Champion.

Praveen, the T64 champion at the Paris Paralympics, competes in a category for athletes with below-knee amputations who use prosthetics for running.

Manu Bhaker made history at the Paris Olympics as the first Indian—male or female—to win two medals in a single Games.

Eighteen-year-old Gukesh became the youngest world chess champion after defeating Ding Liren in Singapore last month. He had earlier won the Candidates Tournament and led India to gold at the Budapest Olympiad.

Expressing gratitude, Gukesh wrote on X: “Honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, I am truly humbled to receive the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Your guidance inspires me to strive for excellence. I promise to continue making the nation proud.”

Despite widespread praise, the omission of several athletes, including Paris Paralympics gold medallist archer Harvinder Singh, Yogesh Kathuniya, Sharad Kumar, and Asian Games champion Jyothi Vennam, has sparked debate. The Sports Ministry clarified that the selections were based on committee recommendations and thorough review.

The award ceremony will be held on January 17, 2025, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, with the President of India presenting the honors.

Among the Arjuna Awardees are Tokyo Paralympics medallists Aman Sehrawat, Swapnil Kusale, Sarabjot Singh, and hockey players Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay, and Abhishek.

The Dronacharya Award will go to shooting coach Deepali Deshpande, with lifetime honors for former Indian football coach Armando Colaco and badminton coach S Muralidharan.