Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 25: High drama unfolded during a key meeting at Delhi’s Major Dhyan Chand Stadium to finalise the nation’s highest sporting honours, the Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards, after the names of proposed winners were allegedly leaked to the media even before the deliberations could conclude.

Sources told NDTV that the leak triggered a major uproar during the meeting, with members expressing strong displeasure over the breach of confidentiality. Amid the controversy, the committee eventually arrived at a rare decision not to confer the Khel Ratna Award on anyone this year.

A committee member said that the names of World Cup-winning cricket captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, along with double Olympic medallist hockey player Hardik Singh, were discussed at length. However, the panel failed to reach a unanimous consensus, leading to the decision to keep the country’s highest sporting honour vacant.

This will be only the third time since the Khel Ratna was instituted in 1991 that no athlete will receive the award. The honour was earlier not given in 2008 and 2014 due to similar lack of agreement among selectors.

In another notable development, no cricketer has been recommended for the Arjuna Award for the second consecutive year. Among cricketers, the Khel Ratna has previously been awarded to Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, while former India women’s team captain Mithali Raj remains the only female cricketer to have received the honour. Despite India’s historic World Cup triumph in November, the committee did not find Harmanpreet Kaur or her teammates eligible for the top award this year.

Meanwhile, the committee recommended several athletes for the Arjuna Awards for 2025, spanning disciplines such as athletics, badminton, boxing, chess, gymnastics, hockey, kabaddi, shooting, wrestling, yoga and para-sports, recognising consistent performances and achievements at the national and international levels.