Chandigarh, Jan 28 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Wednesday requested the central government to award the Padma Bhushan to Olympic bronze medal winner Vijender Kumar and others who performed well at the 2008 Beijing games since they were left out of the national honours list this year.Hooda appealed to the centre that Vijender Kumar as well as boxers Akhil Kumar and Jatinder Kumar, and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt - all of whom made it to the quarterfinal events in respective categories in the 2008 Olympics - be suitably honoured.

Hooda said that Vijender Kumar had brought laurels to the country by winning a boxing bronze medal in the Olympics.

The boxers had earlier stated that they felt upset that the national awards committee chose to ignore them this year despite their good performance in the Olympic Games and world championships.

“What else are we supposed to do to prove our worth? Is this the way to encourage sportsmen by ignoring them?” boxer Akhil Kumar told a TV channel.

Even India’s first Olympics gold medal winner Abhinav Bindra, who was conferred a Padma Bhushan this year, expressed surprise that the other Olympic sportsmen were ignored in the awards selection.