Wrestler Sakshi Malik unhappy after Arjuna Award snub

Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik has expressed her displeasure at missing out on the Arjuna Award this year, in a tweet addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju.

"I am proud to have been conferred the Khel Ratna. Every sportsperson dreams of winning all the awards. A sportsperson puts her life at risk for it. I also dream of seeing Arjuna award winner against my name," the 27-year-old wrestler wrote in a message, of which she tweeted the screenshot while tagging Modi and Rijiju.

माननीय प्रधानमंत्री @narendramodi जी ओर माननीय खेल मंत्री @KirenRijiju जी । pic.twitter.com/YF1hQuJfPi — Sakshi Malik (@SakshiMalik) August 22, 2020

"Which other medal should I get for the country to be honoured with the Arjuna award? Or in this wrestling life, I would never have the good luck of winning this award?" Sakshi said. She has in the past bagged Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India.

The selection committee led by Justice Mukundakam Sharma (retd.) had recommended 29 names for the Arjuna awards to the Sports Ministry. The list also included Sakshi and 2017 weightlifting world champion Mirabai Chanu, but the final decision was left to the discretion of the Ministry.

The Ministry decided against awarding the Arjuna awards to Sakshi and Mirabai as the two have already been conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.