Saina to skip RG Khel Ratna ceremony

Hyderabadi girl Saina Nehwal will not be able to make a personal appearance at the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award ceremony scheduled to be held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday.

Confirming that she has already written a letter to the Sports Ministry expressing her regrets at not being able to make it to the award ceremony for the most coveted sporting awards in the country, the Number 2 women’s badminton player in the world maintained that she was proud to be named the most promising sportsperson of 2010.

Saina is presently in Paris where her dream of winning the World Championship was ended at the hands of China’s Shixian Wang in the quarterfinals on Friday.

The Hyderabadi girl revealed to the media that the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna would continue to be an inspiration for her forever.

She had captured the Indian Open Grand Prix, Singapore Super Series and Indonesia Super Series earlier in the year to become the world’s number 2 badminton player.

The Union Government had on August 5 announced the name of Saina as the recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. The Union Government had also named the Arjuna Awards, Dhyan Chand Awards, Dronacharya Awards and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar awardees for the year 2010.

 A large number of nominations were received for these awards, which were considered by two select panels of eminent sportspersons and sports administrators; one headed by PT Usha for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Awards, Dhyan Chand Awards and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar  and other by Ashok Kumar for Dronacharya Awards.