The All India Football Federation has decided to nominate Sunil Chhetri, who is also the captain of the Indian football team, as the one of the nominees for the Khel Ratna 2021 award
And as far as the Arjuna award is concerned, the body has decided to nominate the name of Bala Devi. During a recent interview with ANI, an official from the Board said, “We have decided to name Sunil Chhetri for Khel Ratna. We haven’t submitted the documents yet.”
How is a player nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award?
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is considered as the country’s highest sporting award. This is usually given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports annually. Now let’s analyze that how a player is selected for the nomination for this award. The selected nominations go to SAI and the National Anti-Doping Agency, as they need to be verified for their said achievements and for doping clearance respectively.
Any player who is found guilty of drug consumption or has been banned by the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) is not considered eligible for the award. The Joint Secretary, Director of Department of Sports, Secretary and the Executive Director usually verify and approve the nominations.
Sunil Chhetri Set To Be One Of The Nominees As Footballer For Khel Ratna Award
The reason why Chhetri is selected for this award is because during the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers, he has broken Messi’s record for scoring the number of goals in international football. But at the same time, Messi had again redeemed this position by playing really well in the current Copa America.
Also read: Shubman Gill Out for Eight Weeks Due To Injury, Set To Miss England vs India Test Series
Chhetri is an Indian footballer. He plays for the position of striker. He is the captain of the Indian Football team and also the captain of Bengalauru FC of the Indian Super League (ISL). He is nicknamed as “Captain Fantastic.” He is currently the fourth highest International goal-scorer, after Ronaldo, Ali Mabkhout, and Messi. He also became the most capped player and all-time top goal scorer for the Indian side.
Dates for Khel Ratna awards extended
The last date for submitting the nominations for Khel Ratna awards has been extended as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has decided. Initially, the last date for submitting the nominations was June 2021. All the universities who are supposed to send their nomination are requested to send their mails to the official website.
Sportspersons like Manika Batra, Rohit Sharma, Vinesh Phogat, Rani Rampal etc were the winners of the Khel Ratna award last year and it was also the first time that a total of five players were declared the winners in the same year.
Recommended: Sports Physiotherapy Courses