WFI wants Arjuna Award for Ravi Dahiya instead of Khel Ratna

Olympic silver medallist Ravi Dahiya wants to have the Arjuna Award before the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has said.

Indian athletes Neeraj Chopra, Ravi Dahiya and Lovlina Borgohain are set to be awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.

However, Ravi has shown his discomfort as he got automatically nominated for Khel Ratna Award despite filing his nomination for Arjuna Award.

"This is wrong with Ravi as he won a medal in Olympic but we have full faith that he will change the colour of a medal in gold at 2024 Olympics and when he himself wants Arjuna Award then why authorities are on to giving him Khel Ratna award," A WFI official told ANI.

"If we talk earlier there are wrestlers who are not better than him but still have both awards and he will do better in Paris Olympic, this process will also kill enthusiasm in budding wrestler as they will think to win a medal in a big event later after getting Arjuna Award first," he added.

35 players will be awarded the Arjuna Award. Among them are Yogesh Kathuniya, Nishad Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Suhas Yathiraj, Singhraj Adhana, Bhavina Patel, Harvinder Singh, and Sharad Kumar.

( With inputs from ANI )