new delhi: India men’s hockey team vice-captain Hardik Singh was the sole recommendation for this year’s Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna honour, while teenaged chess star Divya Deshmukh and trailblazing decathlete Tejaswin Shankar were among the 24 picked for the Arjuna awards by the selection committee here on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old Hardik has been India’s mid-field mainstay and was a part of both the 2021 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympic Games
medal-clinching teams. This year, he was a part of India’s Asia Cup gold-winning side.
In a first, a Yogasan athlete, Aarti Pal, has been recommended for the Arjuna award, five years after it was formally recognised by the Sports Ministry, a source said. Aarti is the reigning national and Asian champion in the discipline that would be a demonstration sport at the 2026 Asian Games.
Twenty one other names have been finalised for the Arjuna by the awards selection panel after a meeting here on Wednesday. The panel features IOA vice-president Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat and former hockey player
MM Somaya.