New Delhi, 18 August (H.S.):

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Tuesday announced the National Sports Awards 2025. Based on the recommendations of the Selection Committee headed by former Supreme Court Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra, the government has decided to honour sportspersons, coaches and institutions across various categories.

17 Sportspersons to Receive Arjuna Awards

The National Sports Awards are presented every year to recognise outstanding achievements in sports and honour sportspersons, coaches and sporting institutions. The Arjuna Award is conferred on athletes who have demonstrated outstanding performance over the preceding four years, along with qualities of leadership, sporting spirit and discipline.

The sportspersons selected for the Arjuna Award are Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri Gopi Chand in badminton; Narendra in boxing; Vidit Santosh Gujrathi and Divya Jitendra Deshmukh in chess; Dhanush Srikanth in deaf shooting; Lalremsiami and Rajkumar Pal in hockey; Surjeet and Pooja in kabaddi; Rudransh Khandelwal in para-shooting; Ekta Bhyan in para-athletics; Arvind Singh in rowing; and Akhil Sheoran in shooting.

Arjuna Award (Lifetime)

The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) is presented to sportspersons who have made a significant contribution to sports through their performances and continued to contribute towards the promotion of sports even after retiring from active competition.

In this category, I. Arumainayagam of football has been selected for the Arjuna Award (Lifetime).

Five Coaches to Receive Dronacharya Awards

The Dronacharya Award is presented to coaches who have consistently delivered outstanding and commendable work and enabled athletes to achieve excellence in international competitions.

In the regular category, Parveer Singh in athletics, Chhote Lal Yadav in boxing and Neha Nandkumar Chavan in shooting have been selected for the Dronacharya Award.

In the Lifetime category, Dharmendra Singh Yadav in boxing and Virendra Kumar in wrestling will receive the Dronacharya Award.

Army Paralympic Node, Pune Selected for Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar

The Army Paralympic Node, Pune, has been selected for the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2025.

The award is presented to public- or private-sector corporate entities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that have made a significant contribution to the promotion and development of sports.

Selection Process Conducted Through Online Applications

Applications for the awards were invited online, allowing sportspersons, coaches and institutions to submit their nominations directly through a dedicated online portal. A large number of applications were received this year.

The applications were examined by the Selection Committee headed by Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra. The committee comprised eminent sportspersons, individuals with experience in sports journalism and sports administrators.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar