India's Gold Medalist Para-archer Harvinder Singh Expresses Frustration Over Exclusion from Khel Ratna Award

New Delhi: India's gold medal winner in the men's individual recurve event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Harvinder Singh, has expressed his disappointment and frustration over not being shortlisted for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.

Yesterday, Harvinder took to Instagram Reels to share his feelings, saying that he was "discriminated against" despite winning a gold medal in the same competition. The archer from Haryana emphasized that it's unfair to have Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Gold medal winners awarded with the Khel Ratna Award but not the Paris 2024 Paralympic Gold medal winners.

The sports fraternity in India is now left wondering why Harvinder and other notable athletes like shooter Manu Bhaker, who also won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, were excluded from the shortlist. In fact, Indian shooter Manu claimed that it might be due to some technical errors while filing her nomination.

Coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja of Harvinder expressed his disappointment in an email to the Prime Minister's office requesting that Harvinder consider him for the honour. He highlighted Harvinder's remarkable achievements at both international and national levels, including first Indian para-archer to win gold in Paralympics, multiple other medals at the 2022 edition, among others.

The Sports Ministry has yet to comment on the issue. However, the news of Harvinder being excluded from the shortlist has sparked a heated debate across India's sports community, with many calling for parity for all talented athletes who bring laurels to their respective countries.