Star player Yogesh Kathuniya got angry for not getting Khel Ratna, said – I will go to the High Court...
Kathuniya, who has won six medals at the international level so far, including two silver medals in the Paralympics, two silver and one bronze in the Para-Athletics World Championship and one silver in the Asian Para Games, is surprised by not getting recognition for his achievements.
Yogesh Kathuniya, Two-time Paralympic medalist gets angry on receiving Khel Ratna. He said that he would go to the High Court to seek a written answer from the Sports Ministry as to why he was not made eligible for the Khel Ratna award despite meeting the criteria for the prestigious honor. The para discus thrower, who won silver medals in Tokyo and Paris Paralympics, is disappointed at not being nominated for the Khel Ratna award.
Kathuniya said, “This is a matter with the Sports Ministry, but they have not contacted me yet. This is clear favoritism, players who have good PR are getting the award. They ignore players like us. This kind of behavior is disappointing for an athlete who has given eight years of his life to the country. Even though I am playing for myself, I am representing India. If I lose, India will lose and if I win, India will win.”
Kathuniya, who received the Arjuna Award from President Ram Nath Kovind in November 2021, has decided to take the matter to court to seek an explanation from the Sports Ministry behind his omission. “I will not wait for next year and will go to the High Court and file a case. I have the highest marks and I want a written answer as to why I am not getting it,” Kathuniya said. The 27-year-old had earlier expressed his anger on social media and questioned the criteria for awarding the Khel Ratna to athletes.
Kathuniya, who has won six medals at the international level so far, including two silver medals at the Paralympics, two silver and one bronze at the Para-Athletics World Championships, and a silver at the Asian Para Games, is surprised at the lack of recognition for his achievements.
“I would like to tell you that when I saw the list of awards, my name was not there. If you see, many people have already received the Khel Ratna long ago, whose marks are not so high. I have been continuously applying for 2-3 years. I have three medals in the World Championships, one medal in the Asian Games, and one medal each in the Paris Paralympics and Tokyo Paralympics. So, according to this, my marks are also very high,” he had said in a video posted on X.
