Hockey star Hardik Singh nominated for Khel Ratna award

A total of 24 sportspersons have been nominated for the Arjuna award this year by the selection panel on Wednesday. According to reports in the media, the Indian men's hockey team vice-captain Hardik Singh was the lone name nominated for the 2025 Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.

However, The Times of India reported that this year no sportsperson has been recommended for nation's highest sporting honour. This is the first time in decades that Khel Ratna has not be conferred.

The list of nominees include the young chess sensation Divya Deshmukh, who clinched the women's chess world cup title earlier this year along with yogasana athlete Aarti Pal.

The others nominated for Arjuna award include Tejaswin Shankar, Vidit Gujrathi, Lalremsiami, Treesa Jolly, Gayatri Gopichand, among others.

Hardik has been a vital member of the Indian hockey setup and was a part of both the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medal winning teams.

An ace midfielder who excels in controlling the pace of the game, Hardik has appeared in 164 matches for India and scored 12 goals in the process.

Last year, a total of four athletes – Manpreet Singh, Gukesh Dommaraju, Manu Bhaker, and Praveen Kumar – were honoured with the Khel Ratna award.

List of nominees

Arjuna Award: Tejaswin Shankar (Athletics), Priyanka (Athletics), Narender (Boxing), Vidit Gujrathi (Chess), Divya Deshmukh (Chess), Dhanush Srikanth (Deaf Shooting), Pranati Nayak (Gymnastics), Rajkumar Pal (Hockey), Surjeet (Kabaddi), Nirmala Bhati (Kho Kho), Rudransh Khandelwal (Para-Shooting), Ekta Bhyan (Para-athletics), Padmanabh Singh (Polo), Arvind Singh (Rowing), Akhil Sheoran (Shooting), Mehuli Ghosh (Shooting), Sutirtha Mukherjee (Table Tennis), Sonam Malik (Wrestling), Aarti (Yoga), Treesa Jolly (Badminton), Gayatri Gopichand (Badminton), Lalremsiami (Hockey), Mohammed Afsal (Athletics), Pooja (Kabaddi).