New Delhi, August 18, 2026: The government has announced the recommendations for the National Sports Awards 2025, with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award left vacant this year. Meanwhile, 17 athletes have been selected for the Arjuna Award.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced the names on Tuesday after considering the recommendations of a selection panel headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra.
The Arjuna Award is given to sportspersons for consistent performances over the previous four years, along with qualities such as leadership, sportsmanship and discipline.
Khel Ratna Remains Vacant
The biggest talking point from this year’s announcement is the absence of a Khel Ratna recipient.
Named after legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand, the Khel Ratna is India’s highest sporting honour and recognises exceptional achievements at the international level.
The award carries a ₹25 lakh cash prize, along with a medallion and citation. The Arjuna Award carries a cash prize of ₹15 lakh.
Hockey player Hardik Singh was reportedly among those considered for the Khel Ratna but was eventually not selected. The last time the country’s top sporting honour had no recipient was in 2014.
Last year, the Khel Ratna was awarded to chess star Gukesh Dommaraju, hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, para-athlete Praveen Kumar and Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker.
17 Athletes Selected for Arjuna Award
The 2025 Arjuna Award list features athletes from disciplines including athletics, chess, hockey, badminton, shooting, boxing, kabaddi and rowing.
Among the prominent names are World Cup-winning chess player Divya Deshmukh, high jumper and decathlete Tejaswin Shankar and badminton player Gayatri Gopichand.
The complete list is:
- Tejaswin Shankar – Athletics
- Priyanka Goswami – Athletics
- Narender – Boxing
- Vidit Gujrathi – Chess
- Divya Deshmukh – Chess
- Dhanush Srikanth – Deaf Shooting
- Rajkumar Pal – Hockey
- Surjeet – Kabaddi
- Rudransh Khandelwal – Para-Shooting
- Ekta Bhyan – Para-Athletics
- Arvind Singh – Rowing
- Akhil Sheoran – Shooting
- Treesa Jolly – Badminton
- Gayatri Gopichand – Badminton
- Lalremsiami – Hockey
- Muhammed Ajmal – Athletics
- Pooja – Kabaddi
I. Arumainayagam Gets Lifetime Arjuna Honour
Indian football veteran I. Arumainayagam has been selected for the Arjuna Award (Lifetime).
Arumainayagam was part of the Indian football team that won the gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, one of the landmark achievements in Indian football.
He also represented India at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup, where the team finished runners-up, and featured in the Merdeka Cup.
The lifetime award recognises his contribution to Indian football both during his playing days and after retirement.
Dronacharya Awards for Three Coaches
The government has also selected Parveer Singh, Chhote Lal Yadav and Neha Nandkumar Chavan for the Dronacharya Award.
The award is presented to coaches who have consistently made outstanding contributions and helped athletes achieve success at international competitions.
For the Dronacharya Award (Lifetime), the selected names are Dharmendra Yadav and Virender Kumar.
Ronjan Sodhi Highlights Need for Grassroots Scouting
Former Khel Ratna recipient Ronjan Sodhi has called for stronger talent identification programmes as India looks ahead to the 2036 Olympics.
Sodhi believes India needs to start identifying promising athletes immediately, particularly through schools. He also suggested that sports federations could work with experienced athletes and coaches to scout talent at the grassroots level.
The latest National Sports Awards recognise achievements across a wide range of disciplines while also putting the spotlight on India’s need to build a stronger pipeline of sporting talent for future international competitions.
