June 17, 2026 12:13 am (IST)
Pity that athletes feel they have to lobby for awards: Omar
Jammu, Jan 6 (IBNS): Outgoing Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday regretted that Indian athletes feel they have to "lobby" to receive awards.
"It's a great pity that our athletes feel they have to lobby & threaten to receive awards, criteria based on merit should be all that decides," Abdullah tweeted.
This comes after reports said that boxer Vijender Singh on Tuesday asked the Boxing Federation to recommend his name to the Sports Ministry for the prestigious Padma Bhushan award.
After the Union Sports Ministry has decided to recommend Saina Nehwal’s name for Padma Bhushan awards, the controversy over Vijender Singh lobbying for awards surfaced.
Following the row, Abdullah said, "There is something rather off putting seeing our most accomplished sportspersons jostling each other to jump the "Padma" award queue."
#Pity that athletes feel they have to lobby for awards: Omar Abdullah
# Vijender Singh
# Saina Nehwal
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
WT20 WC: Pakistan fined for slow over-rate against India
Tue, Jun 16 2026
‘Most oppressed team’: Iran coach slams 'immediate' US exit order after FIFA 2026 World Cup match against New Zealand
Tue, Jun 16 2026
'Gun gesture': World Cup erupts in controversy as Iranian footballer's celebration goes viral
Tue, Jun 16 2026
Lanka Premier League promoters IPG Group announce multimillion-dollar strategic funding from Nasdaq-listed partner
Mon, Jun 15 2026
Japanese fans go viral for cleaning entire stadium after World Cup match in Texas. Why do they do so?
Mon, Jun 15 2026
Are Online Gaming Communities The New Social Hangouts For Friends
Mon, Jun 15 2026
