Indian gold medalist's name missing from Rs 10 million Asian Games award list

Dubai: India kabaddi star Ritu Negi has been left out of Himachal Pradesh’s latest list of players set to receive a Rs 1 crore (Dh 379,345) cash reward, despite being included in an earlier list of recipients.

The Arjuna awardee was among four Himachal Pradesh players named for the enhanced reward along with Pushpa Rana, Jyoti Thakur and Bhavna Thakur. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had also publicly congratulated the players.

But when the state government announced that the kabaddi players’ reward had been raised from Rs 33 lakh (Dh 125,184) to Rs 1 crore, Negi’s name was absent from the official release.

The development has surprised Negi, who is from Sirmaur and is married in Haryana. She questioned the sudden change after being recognised by state leaders only days earlier.

“I was Himachal’s daughter until a week ago,” Negi said according to The Tribune, adding that she could not understand why her name had subsequently been removed.

Sports Minister Yadvinder Goma said he was unaware of the reason and would check the matter with the chief minister.

Negi has represented India at three consecutive Asian Games, making her the only Indian woman kabaddi player to achieve the feat. She won gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, while taking silver at Jakarta 2018.

Negi added another Asian Games gold medal to her collection in Japan, helping India retain the women’s kabaddi title. India edged Iran 37-34 in a closely fought final in Aichi-Nagoya. The victory gave India a fourth women’s kabaddi gold at the Asian Games. 

Negi’s father, Bhawan Singh Negi, has questioned whether her marital status played a role in the decision. He noted that she had already received Himachal Pradesh’s cash reward for her 2022 Asian Games gold despite being married.

Negi said she is employed by Railways and has represented Himachal Pradesh in domestic competitions. Although Haryana is also expected to honour her under its sports policy, she believes that should not prevent her from receiving recognition from Himachal Pradesh.

She now plans to meet the chief minister and seek clarity over her exclusion, saying the decision has left her feeling disowned by the state she has represented throughout her career.