Sindhu, Nikhat, Mirabai, Vinesh & Sakshi nominated for BBC ISWOTY Award

New Delhi: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik, who recently staged a protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and accused him of sexual exploitation and intimidation, were among five athletes nominated on Monday for the BBC Indian Sportswoman Of The Year award.

Others who made the cut were Tokyo Olympics silver medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, ace shuttler PV Sindhu and boxer Nikhat Zareen.

The athletes were short-listed after a panel of jury, consisting of sports journalists and writers, voted for their preferred players, based on their achievements. The winner will be chosen by a public vote that began on Monday and will continue till February 20 midnight.

The winner will be announced on March 5. Rupa Jha, the Head of India BBC News, announced that they have introduced a new award category -- BBC Indian para-sportswoman of the year. Ekta Bhyan, the 2018 Asian para Games gold medallist, welcomed the move and emphasised on the need to make the stadiums more accessible to the physically challenged athletes.