Indian tennis star Sania Mirza was on Saturday conferred with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna — the country’s highest sporting honour.
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee presented the award to Sania, clad in a maroon saree and blue blazer, amid thunderous applause at the Darbar hall where Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was among the attendees.
Sania became the second tennis player to receive the country’s highest sporting honour after Leander Paes on a day when Sports Ministry was fighting a court case that raised questions against its process of selecting the awardees.
Sania, who attracted the loudest applause from the esteemed gathering at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, received a medal, certificate and cash prize of Rs. 7.5 lakh. She had flown in just to receive the award ahead of the US Open starting in New York on Monday.
Read: Sania Mirza helps Hingis to first Wimbledon title in 17 years
The ceremony, however, was shrouded in controversy with the ignored athletes and coaches not accepting the recommendations of the Ministry-appointed panel.
Just when it seemed there would be no controversy in the lead up to this year’s function, para-athlete HN Girisha approached the Karnataka High Court challenging Sania’s recommendation for Khel Ratna.
As it panned out, the haggling for awards continued against expectations of the government which had introduced a new points system to ensure free and transparent selection process. (PhotoNews/NDTV)
