Ram Kishan, the father of Manu Bhaker, has voiced his disappointment regarding his daughter's apparent exclusion from the Khel Ratna award nominations. He criticized the nomination process, highlighting that Manu achieved the remarkable feat of winning two medals in a single Olympic edition and questioned what more she needed to do for the government to acknowledge her contributions.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Bhaker made history as independent India's first athlete to secure two medals in a single edition, earning bronze in both the individual 10m air pistol and mixed team events.

Ram Kishan lamented that had he chosen to guide her towards cricket instead of shooting, she might have received more recognition. "I regret my decision to have her pursue shooting. I should have encouraged her to become a cricketer. Then, she would have received numerous awards and accolades. Winning two Olympic medals in one edition is unprecedented. What more can my child do for her country? The government needs to acknowledge her achievements," he stated in an interview with the Times of India.

Although the final list of nominees has yet to be released, various reports indicate that Bhaker has been surprisingly overlooked for this year's Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.

Ram Kishan also shared his conversation with Manu, revealing that the situation has left her disheartened, to the extent that she now regrets her Olympic participation. "I spoke with Manu, and she expressed her disappointment. She said, 'I shouldn't have gone to the Olympics and won medals for the country. In fact, I shouldn't have become a sportsperson,'" he recounted.

The award selection committee is composed of a 12-member panel led by retired Supreme Court Justice V. Ramasubramanian, which includes former athletes such as women's hockey captain Rani Rampal, among others.

The committee has put forth a recommendation for Harmanpreet Singh, the captain of the Indian hockey team, who successfully guided India to its second consecutive Olympic bronze medal in Paris, to receive the Khel Ratna award. Additionally, para athlete Praveen Kumar, who achieved a gold medal in the men's high jump T64 class with an Asian record at the Paris Paralympics, has also been nominated for this prestigious honour.

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