• Source:PTI
Add as a preferred

The Sports Ministry has officially endorsed the nominations for the annual sports awards, with badminton players Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty set to receive the prestigious Khel Ratna. On the other hand, pacer Mohammed Shami is set to receive the Arjuna Award. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on January 9, 2024, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where President Droupadi Murmu will confer the honors.

Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, both Asian Games gold medallists, World Championships bronze winners, and Commonwealth Games silver medallists, have been recognized for their exceptional contributions to Indian badminton.

Shami, 33, had a stellar performance in the ODI World Cup, emerging as the leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets in seven outings, contributing significantly to India's journey to the final.

Also Read: Neymar Jr to miss Copa America

The list of Arjuna awardees for 2023 includes outstanding athletes from various sports disciplines. Hockey players Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Sushila Chanu, archers Ojas Pravin Deotale and Aditi Gopichand Swami, boxer Mohammad Hussamuddin, chess player R Vaishali, golfer Diksha Dagar, shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Esha Singh, wrestlers Antim Panghal and Sunil Kumar, paddler Ayhika Mukherjee, and para archer Sheetal Devi are among those set to be honored.

These athletes were nominated for the awards by a government panel on December 13, and their achievements across different sports have been acknowledged.

Furthermore, the ministry has given the green light to five coaches for the Dronacharya Award in the regular category and three in the lifetime category. Additionally, the Dyan Chand Award in the lifetime category will be conferred upon three individuals.

In the institutional category, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, is set to receive the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2023, while Lovely Professional University, Punjab, and Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, are the first and second runners-up.

The National Sports Awards aim to recognize and reward excellence in sports and are given annually to outstanding athletes and coaches across various sporting disciplines.

List of National Sports Award winners:

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2023: Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (badminton).

Arjuna Awards for 2023: Ojas Pravin Deotale (archery), Aditi Gopichand Swami (archery), Murali Sreeshankar (athletics), Parul Chaudhary (athletics), Mohameed Hussamuddin (boxing), R Vaishali (chess), Mohammed Shami (cricket), Anush Agarwalla (equestrian), Divyakriti Singh (equestrian dressage), Diksha Dagar (golf), Krishan Bahadur Pathak (hockey), Sushila Chanu (hockey), Pawan Kumar (kabaddi), Ritu Negi (kabaddi), Nasreen (kho-kho), Pinki (lawn bowls), Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (shooting), Esha Singh (shooting), Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (squash), Ayhika Mukherjee (table tennis), Sunil Kumar (wrestling), Antim (wrestling), Naorem Roshibina Devi (wushu), Sheetal Devi (para archery), Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy (blind cricket), Prachi Yadav (para canoeing).

Dronacharya Award (regular category)for outstanding coaches: Lalit Kumar (wrestling), RB Ramesh (chess), Mahaveer Prasad Saini (para athletics), Shivendra Singh (hockey), Ganesh Prabhakar Devrukhkar (mallakhamb).
Dronacharya Award (life-time category)for outstanding coaches: Jaskirat Singh Grewal (golf), Bhaskaran E (kabaddi), Jayanta Kumar Pushilal (table tennis).

Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement: Manjusha Kanwar (badminton), Vineet Kumar Sharma (hockey), Kavitha Selvaraj (kabaddi).

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2023: Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (overall winner university); Lovely Professional University, Punjab (1st runner -up), Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra (2nd runner-up).


Inputs from PTI

Also In News