Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

[michael]

[This discussion started in the Somdev DevVarman thread in the Tennis Players forum, where it was asked if Somdev should get an Arjuna, and I replied saying he should even be considered for the Khel Ratna award. That started a discussion, as below.. Moving it all to this thread.. Mod, Jay]

I agree with arjuna and padma shree but not for khel ratna. Khelratna is given only for world champions like marry com , bindra, rathore etc. Som will have to win a singles grand slam or olympic medal for that.

[jayakris]

Well, Saina got Khel ratna last year. What did SHE do for that? Not a world champion. Not an Olympics medalist... Nothing. She made me happy with that absolutely thrilling gold at CWG that put us in the 3rd spot and finished the games, but she diddn't deserve it one bit. Probably got it only because there was nobody else doing terrific last year. Who else deserves it for 2010 but Somdev?

[Kevin]

Thats nice . He definitely deserves one (or more) . .

[michael]

I am sorry Jay. But Sania never got KhelRatna award. NEVER. Obviously she is not a world champ and believe me no one can get it unless he or she is a world champ. Lee got it after he won bronze in olympics. Hesh has been trying very hard for the last several years. He was nominated also but never got it, though he was world no one doubles player and has won 11 grand slams.

[suresh]

Here is a complete listing of winners of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award:

01 1991-92 Viswanathan Anand Chess
02 1992-93 Geet Sethi Billiards
03 1993-94 Not Conferred
04 1994-95 Cdr. Homi D. Motivala (Joint) Yachting (Team Event)
04 1994-95 Lt. Cdr. P. K. Garg (Joint) Yachting (Team Event)
05 1995-96 Karnam Malleswari Weightlifting
06 1996-97 Nameirakpam Kunjarani (Joint) Weightlifting
06 1996-97 Leander Paes (Joint) Tennis
07 1997-98 Sachin Tendulkar Cricket
08 1998-99 Jyotirmoyee Sikdar Athletics
09 1999–2000 Dhanraj Pillay Hockey
10 2000-01 Pullela Gopichand Badminton
11 2001-02 Abhinav Bindra Shooting
12 2002-03 Anjali Ved Pathak Bhagwat(Joint) Shooting
12 2002-03 K. M. Beenamol (Joint) Athletics
13 2003-04 Anju Bobby George Athletics
14 2004-05 Lt. Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Shooting
15 2005-06 Pankaj Advani Billiards and Snooker
16 2006-07 Manavjit Singh Sandhu Shooting
17 2007-08 Mahendra Singh Dhoni Cricket
18 2008-09 Mary Kom (Joint) Boxing
18 2008-09 Vijender Singh (Joint) Boxing
18 2008-09 Sushil Kumar (Joint) Wrestling
19 2009-10 Saina Nehwal Badminton

[prasen9]

We will have to look at the performance of the shooters and archers to see if somebody compiled a good body of work in this year. Gagan Narang?

[jayakris]

michael, You had me scratching my head if I had it wrong that Saina got it for last year (one of the least deserving Khel Ratnas ever), but suresh helped. Good to know that I was not living in a parallel universe or something, but you may want to look around and make sure .. You are right that Mahesh deserves a Khel Ratna. He is probably the only big name missing from the list in the last 20 years. He should have got for 98-99 for two grand slam doubles titles when Jyotirmoyi Sikdar got it. The other one missing there is Jaspal Rana.

prasen, Well, nobody who did not get a Gold at Asiad should be a consideration for Khel Ratna in an Asiad year (just like, from now on, nobody who didn't get a medal at Olympics should be a consideration in an Olympics year). Unless it is somebody in a non-Asiad or non-Olympics event in those years (like Mary Kom earlier). Or it will have to be an extremely important achievement elsewhere (like a grand slam singles title, world atheltics/swimming gold, playing in a first division european football league, etc. But not all world championships count. Not in less followed fields like shooting. Popularity of the sport and its depth around the world also counts. Perhaps games count too, not just sport)..

It has to be Somdev for this year (2010-11). That's it. Simple. The CWG gold and two upset Golds at Asiad clinch it. Nobody has been a bigger story in Indian sports than Buji this year. If she gets a relay 4X400 gold also at Asiad, I could go for Ashwini Akkunji.

Jay

[Atithee]

Jay,
I don't think it is just how well Som has performed relative to expectations; his performance has to be truly world class as you have pointed out yourself. Beating a top 40 Player to win a gold at AG is impressive but not world class. It was the same for CWG. That these are big stories is not the achievement and the level of achievement is what counts. For all that Sania has achieved, she has only one lowly WTA singles title to her credit. It seems that even a slams doubles is not worthy of a Khel Ratna, and I cannot disagree much. Therefore, a Khel Ratna for Som is out of question, no matter how much you feel it is justified. Same for Sania for me. I think Sania has already gotten more than what a comparable sportsperson in any similar country would ever get. Unless, it is an oil rich country and/or the country is truly missing heroes of any kind at all. Thankfully, we have plenty, including in the field of sports as well, though they may be in less popular sports, as you pointed out. Sorry, I don't mean to make this a Sania discussion, but the comparison seemed apt.

[jayakris]

Why did you bring Sania into it? I didn't say anything about Sania.. She really did not do anything to deserve one, except for being a been a pioneer.

Anyway, what you are saying seems to be the criterion for Khel Ratna (though I don't know what Sikdar really did to deserve it over Mahesh!) .. What I was giving was what SHOULD BE the criterion, which is how much excellence one showed in a sport relative to Indians' performances. If you are comparing to the world levels, Buji's accomplishments are nothing much and a piddly shooting gold at world championships gets counted more. How many Indians can even name which of the shooters have won even ONE world championships. They may just know the names of a few from Asiads, CWGs but would remember only Rathore and Abhinav as special because of Olympics gold. They would have no clue about world championships. This itself is probably why Jaspal Rana, (whom I consider to be the greatest Indian shooter other than the two Olympics medalists) not getting one, and Manavjit and Anjali Bhagwat getting it. Also why there are so few cricketers in the list - though that is something I like (because by my criterion which also includes the importance Indians place on things, a few others like Dravid, Ganguly, or Kumble would have got it) ..

Coming back to this year though, whatever the criterion is, who else can stake a claim to Khel Ratna over Buji (even following your criterion). Any great world champion or anybody out there. Don't tell me a shooter's name, because I am sick of seeing all these shooters in the list. I would even place cricketers over some of them (if it is VVS Laxman ) ..

Jay

[Atithee]

We don't have to award one just because. I already said that I didn't mean to drag Sania into this but somehow it seemed apt for the point I was trying to make. Overall, I think we agree on most points.

[jayakris]

I would go with not awarding one, but cosidering that we have awarded it to some dud or other in all years since early 1990s, I see no reason not to award it this year to Somdev or Ashwini or somebody. By the way, the year is still young. I think it goes till next summer. Heck if LP/MB wins 2 among AO, FO, Wimb, Hesh may finally get one .. Or may be we will win 1 or two matches at the Asia Cup (fat chance) with Chhettri scoring 5 goals, and he would certainly deserve one .. Jay

[Atithee]

The bar has been raised since the 90s, so we don't have to keep rewarding the duds. If Mahesh wants one, well, he'll just have to win the gold at the olympics and some more slams because slams alone wouldn't be enough and even the olympics gold maybe not be enough if the competition stays away. If you disagree, just remember what kujo wrote about fairness.

[jayakris]

Yeah, fairness is overrated! So screw it Jay

[prasen9]

For their sport, the world championships in shooting are more important than the Asian Games. We should go with that. These are subjective judgment calls but tennis in the Asian Games is not world-class and in my mind, nothing but winning world-class contests should count. I would rather select someone who excelled in the world level (even though they failed at the Asian level) than someone who excelled at mediocre levels like Atithee mentioned. Popularity of the sport counts but not that much especially given that shooters have got it in the past. I would not give it to any other cricketer but if you wanted to give it to VVSL, I may be fine. Brave displays when the chips are down. But, again, cricket displays in non-World-Cup events should be discounted. Let any of these guys win us a world cup with heroic displays and I am fine. Even if that WC is in Twenty20s. When we have world cup winners in established sports, we should not look beyond.

[indiansportsfan]

Agree wholeheartedly with Jay. In normal years, Khel Ratna can be given to world champions. But in Asiad and Olympic years, it has to be give to gold medallists. Som being a multiple gold medallist deserves it the most till now. And Sikdar did win multiple Asiad golds, so she too deserved it that year. The value of shooting World Championships has been discounted (I mean who the bloody hell cares!!). Narang has to atleast win a bronze at Olympic level before he should be in consideration.