Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, India’s history-making men’s doubles duo, have been nominated for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award on Wednesday December 13th. The award is given to the most outstanding sportspersons recognizing their remarkable achievements in the sport in the last two years.
Confirming the development ahead of official announcement, a Badminton Association of India (BAI) official said: “Nowadays athletes apply for the awards directly. After scrutiny, the sports ministry discusses with the respective national sports federation (NSF) that they are considering the said athlete for the award. The federation either gives or does not give consent with reasoning. Normally players and the association have an informal discussion before applying, given their performance in the international arena. Satwik and Chirag had discussions with us before applying. The last date was December 2 I believe. The ministry hasn't reached out to us yet. We will, of course, approve their nomination. They are our jewels.”
Can Satwik-Chirag become first doubles pair to recieve this award?
Only three badminton players from the country have previously laid claim to the accoladen and they are Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal, and PV Sindhu. The doubles pair is in line to be the first in its category to win the award.
The union sports ministry will make the final announcement. Satwik-Chirag will become the first badminton doubles pair to get the award.
BCCI recommends Mohammed Shami's name for prestigious Arjuna Award: Reports