Hardik Singh Nominated for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
Hardik Singh's Nomination for Prestigious Award
New Delhi, December 24: Hardik Singh, the vice-captain of the Indian men's hockey team and a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, has received a nomination for the esteemed Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, as reported by a leading sports news outlet on Wednesday.
This award represents the highest honor for athletes in India and is conferred annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Recipients of this accolade are honored by the President of India.
The nominations were finalized on Wednesday by a selection committee that included notable figures such as Gagan Narang, a medallist from the London 2012 Olympics, MM Somaya, a gold medalist from the Moscow 1980 Olympics, and former badminton champion Aparna Popat.
Historically, six hockey players have been recipients of this prestigious award, including Dhanraj Pillay (1999-2000), Sardar Singh (2017), Rani Rampal (2020), PR Sreejesh (2021), Manpreet Singh (2021), and Harmanpreet Singh (2024).
Since making his senior team debut in 2018, Hardik has been a crucial player in the midfield, contributing significantly to the bronze medal victories at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.
He has also played a key role in India's gold medal achievements at the Asia Cup 2025, which secured India's qualification for the upcoming Hockey World Cup, as well as at the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 and the Asian Games.
At just 27 years old, Hardik has already participated in 164 matches for the national team.
His accolades include consecutive Player of the Year awards at the Hockey India Awards in 2022 and 2023, the FIH Player of the Year 2023, and the Arjuna Award in 2021.
Last year, the Khel Ratna award was awarded to Harmanpreet Singh, the captain of the Indian men's hockey team, alongside other notable athletes like Manu Bhaker, Gukesh D, and Praveen Kumar.
Additionally, 24 athletes have been nominated for the Arjuna Awards, including Aarti Pal, a yogasana athlete, marking her first nomination. She is the reigning national and Asian champion in yogasana, which will be showcased as a demonstration sport at the Asian Games in Japan next year.
Other nominees include rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh, gymnast Pranati Nayak, and the top-ranked women's badminton duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.
Interestingly, no cricketers received nominations this year, although Mohammed Shami was honored with the Arjuna Award in 2023.
Announcements regarding the Dronacharya Award and the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award are anticipated soon.
*National Sports Awards 2025 – list of nominations
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: Hardik Singh (hockey)
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 Pal (yogasana), Treesa Jolly (badminton), Gayatri Gopichand (badminton), Lalremsiami (hockey), Mohammed Afsal (athletics), Pooja (kabaddi).
Dronacharya Award: TBD
Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award: TBD.