NEW DELHI: In a first, the Sports Ministry, in its recommendations for this year’s Padma awards, has made an all-women list of nine athletes.
Pride of place goes to six-time world champion boxer Mary Kom, who has been recommended for the prestigious Padma Vibhushan award, the first time a woman athlete’s name has been put forward by the Sports Ministry for the country’s second highest civilian honour after the Bharat Ratna.
Next up is badminton star PV Sindhu, who became the first Indian to win the World Championship in August, and has been recommended for the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third highest civilian award.
Mary Kom was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2013 and Padma Shri in 2006. Sindhu was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015.
If Mary Kom receives the Padma Vibhushan award, it would make her the fourth sportsperson to do so after chess wizard Viswanathan Anand in 2007, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar in 2008 and mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, who got the award posthumously in 2008, Times of India reports.
The other seven women in this year’s list have all been recommended for the Padma Shri. They are wrestler Vinesh Phogat, table tennis star Manika Batra, T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, hockey captain Rani Rampal, former shooter Suma Shirur and mountaineer twin sisters, Tashi and Nungshi Malik, the TOI report said.
The recommendations have been sent to the Padma awards committee in the home ministry. The names of the awardees will be announced on the eve of the Republic Day next year.
