Fresh controversy has struck the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honour, over the nominations of India cricket captain Virat Kohli and gold-medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu. According to the points system, based on which sportspersons are nominated for the award, Kohli has scored zero points while Chanu has 44 points to her credit.
Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat, who have 80 points each, scored the highest, but was snubbed by the selection panel for the honour. Both Bajrang and Vinesh won gold medals in this year's Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
The present system of calculating points takes into consideration the performance of athletes in events such as the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championships, but cricket has no criteria set to score points. Cricketers are nominated through a consensus among committee members.
Kohli's name was nominated after eight votes out of 11 were found in favour of the cricketer. He was ignored for the Khel Ratna the previous two years. Chanu, meanwhile, received seven votes as she edged out shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, who received six.
Apart from Bajrang and Vinesh, table tennis player Manika Batra, boxer Vikas Krishan, archer Abhishek Varma, para athlete Deepa Malik and Srikanth scored more points than Chanu, but were not nominated by the committee.
Bajrang met with Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore in the hopes that the committee will reconsider his name for the Khel Ratna. He added that if he didn't receive a favourable decision, he would move court for justice.
The sports ministry announced on Thursday that Kohli and Chanu will receive the Khel Ratna award on September 25.
