Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The selection committee on Tuesday decided not to recommend any sportsperson for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award this year.

It will be for the first time that no athlete will be conferred the award ever since its inception in 1991.

Vikas Gowda, Krishna Poonia, PV Sindhu, Jeev Milkha Singh, Vikas Devendra were a few names which were in the race.

Kapil Dev headed the 11-member committee which was assigned to short list names for the Arjuna Award and Khel Ratna.

Even as the Khel Ratna is not likely to be conferred on any sportsperson, 15 sportspersons have been recommended by the Selection Committee for the Arjuna Award.

These include Akhilesh Varma (Archery), Tintu Luka (Athletics), HN Girisha (Paralympics), V Diju (Badminton), Geetu Ann Jose (Basketball), Jai Bhagwan (Boxing), R Ashwin (Cricket), Anirban Lahiri (Golf), Mamta Pujari (Kabaddi), Saji Thomas (Rowing), Heena Sidhu (Shooting), Anaka Alankamany (Squash), Tom Joseph (Volleyball), Renubala Chanu (Weightlifting) and Sunil Rana (Wrestling).