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National Sports Awards 2025 announced; no Khel Ratna recipient named
Seventeen sportspersons have been selected for the Arjuna Award, while five coaches will receive Dronacharya honours.
Tejaswin Shankar produced a personal-best 40.44m discus throw in Glasgow.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports on Tuesday announced the National Sports Awards 2025, with 17 sportspersons selected for the Arjuna Award for their performances in sports and games. However, no recipient was named for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award this year.
The awards were finalised based on the recommendations of a selection committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra. The panel also comprised sportspersons, sports journalists and sports administrators.
The Arjuna Award list features athletes Tejaswin Shankar, Muhammed Ajmal V and Priyanka Goswami, badminton players Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri Gopichand, boxer Narender and chess players Vidit Santosh Gujarathi and Divya Jitendra Deshmukh.
The other recipients are deaf shooter Dhanush Srikanth, hockey players Lalremsiami and Rajkumar Pal, kabaddi players Surjeet and Pooja, para-shooting athlete Rudransh Khandelwal, para-athlete Ekta Bhyan, rower Arvind Singh and shooter Akhil Sheoran.
Coaches and lifetime honours
The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) will be presented to former footballer I Arumainayagam. The honour recognises sportspersons for their contribution to sport during and after their active careers.
The Dronacharya Award 2025 in the regular category will go to athletics coach Parveer Singh, boxing coach Chhote Lal Yadav and shooting coach Neha Nandkumar Chavan. Dharmendra Singh Yadav from boxing and wrestling coach Virender Kumar have been selected for the lifetime category.
The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2025 will be awarded to Army Paralympic Node, Pune, for its contribution to sports promotion and development.
The National Sports Awards are presented annually to recognise sporting excellence and contributions to Indian sport. The ministry said a large number of applications were received through its online application process before being evaluated by the selection committee.
Arjuna Award 2025: Tejaswin Shankar, Muhammed Ajmal V, Priyanka Goswami, Treesa Jolly, Pullela Gayatri Gopichand, Narender, Vidit Santosh Gujarathi, Divya Jitendra Deshmukh, Dhanush Srikanth, Lalremsiami, Rajkumar Pal, Surjeet, Pooja, Rudransh Khandelwal, Ekta Bhyan, Arvind Singh, Akhil Sheoran
Arjuna Award (Lifetime): I Arumainayagam
Dronacharya Award 2025: Parveer Singh, Chhote Lal Yadav, Neha Nandkumar Chavan, Dharmendra Singh Yadav, Virender Kumar
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2025: Army Paralympic Node, Pune