Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 16: Rakesh Kumar, World No 1 Para Archer and Arjuna Awardee from Natali village, Katra, has expressed disappointment after his name was missing from recently notified provisional selection list 2026 of outstanding sportspersons by the Government. He has submitted a representation to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, seeking a transparent review of the selection process.
Rakesh Kumar, who has represented India at the Paralympics and won a bronze medal, has also secured gold medals at the Asian Games and World Championships, with a total of 33 international medals (28 international, 12 national).
Speaking to Excelsior, he said, “I don’t understand how a game played by only a few countries got almost all gazetted posts, while Olympians and top achievers were denied. I was confident before the list, but shocked to see ‘closed once and relatives’ getting jobs while deserving candidates were left out.”
He added that he has appealed to the Chief Minister and is trying to meet him personally to highlight the issue. Questioning the transparency, evaluation criteria, and merit, he said ignoring top achievers sends a discouraging message to the region’s sporting community.
“I applied for the job in 2019 and 2023 and will continue to fight. I will also approach the court to seek justice,” he said.
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