A day after it announced a trimmed-down list of national sports awardees, the sports ministry backed its decision and said awards can’t be doled out on reputation alone.

File image of Union Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya addresses a press conference, in New Delhi. (ANI)

Only 17 athletes were named for Arjuna awards on Tuesday from the 24 recommended by the selection committee led by former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra. The shortlist was submitted at least six months back, and the ministry, after a prolonged evaluation, pruned the list.

“We agree it’s not the convention,” a senior ministry official said. “Usually, the names forwarded by the selection panel are final, but this time we decided to cut the flab. Arjuna awards have to be earned, they can’t be given on reputation.”

No athlete was named for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honour, for 2025. For the first time since 2014, Khel Ratna will not be awarded.

“We wanted to preserve the integrity of the awards. These awards can’t be given for the sake of it. The committee’s recommendations are not binding on the ministry.”

The athletes named for the Arjuna Award include badminton doubles players Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, track and field athletes Tejaswin Shankar and Muhammed Ajmal, boxer Narender Berwal, chess Grandmasters Vidit Gujarathi and Divya Deshmukh.

Gymnast Pranati Nayak, kho kho player Nirmala Bhati, polo player Padmanabh Singh, shooter Mehuli Ghosh, table tennis player Sutirtha Mukherjee, wrestler Sonam Malik and yogasana athlete Aarti Pal were those excluded after re-evaluation.

Happy with World C’ships

The ministry official expressed satisfaction with the ongoing badminton World Championships in the Capital. After the controversy-hit India Open in January — severe air pollution, repeated incidents of bird droppings on the court and monkey sighting within the arena — arrangements at the World Championships have earned praise from domestic and international shuttlers.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) spent ₹20 crore on repair work.

“We took over the preparation for World Championships from the very beginning and worked towards delivering a world-class tournament. What happened during the India Open was unfortunate, and there were surely lapses on our part. But we left no stone unturned this time,” the ministry official said.

VBYLD 2027 kicks off

The Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2027 has started with the Viksit Bharat Quiz, the ministry announced. The inaugural quiz is open to those between 15-29 years till September 16.

It drew about 30 lakh participants and the second installment 50 lakh. “This time, we aim to take the number to 1 crore,” the ministry said.

The four-stage filtering process — including district and state-level essay-writing competitions — will culminate with at least 25 candidates being selected to present their ideas in Bharat Mandapam next year (Jan 10-12).