No Khel Ratna Recipient for 2025
The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, recognised as India’s highest sporting honour, will not be awarded to any sportsperson for 2025. This marks only the third instance since its inception in 1991-92 that no athlete has been selected for the award, with previous occurrences in 2008 and 2014. The decision followed recommendations from a high-level selection committee, which were then sent to Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for final approval. The Sports Ministry announced the National Sports Awards 2025.
The selection committee, led by retired Supreme Court Justice Arun Kumar Mishra, had considered potential candidates for the Khel Ratna. Among those discussed were compound archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam and India’s women’s World Cup-winning cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur, along with vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. However, none of these names were included in the final recommendations. The absence of a specific points-based system for evaluating cricket performances was a factor in discussions regarding the cricketers, with the committee typically relying on nominations from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in such cases. No nominations were made for the two cricketers. The last cricketer to receive the Khel Ratna was Mohammed Shami in 2023. The award includes a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, a medallion, and a citation.
Arjuna Awards Honour 17 Sportspersons
While the top honour remained vacant, 17 sportspersons were named for the Arjuna Award, which recognises outstanding performance in sports and games. The list of recipients spans various disciplines, highlighting achievements over the past four years. Among the notable awardees are chess players Divya Deshmukh, a Chess World Cup winner, and Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi.
Other athletes receiving the Arjuna Award include:
- Athletics stars: Tejaswin Shankar, Muhammed Ajmal V, and Priyanka Goswami
- Badminton players: Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri Gopichand
- Boxer: Narender
- Deaf shooter: Dhanush Srikanth
- Hockey players: Lalremsiami and Rajkumar Pal
- Kabaddi players: Surjeet and Pooja
- Para-shooter: Rudransh Khandelwal
- Para-athlete: Ekta Bhyan
- Rower: Arvind Singh
- Shooter: Akhil Sheoran
Divya Deshmukh’s selection follows her triumph at the FIDE Women’s World Cup. Tejaswin Shankar was recognised for his performances in athletics, including a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games. Additionally, footballer I Arumainayagam received an Arjuna Award in the lifetime category.
Coaching Excellence and Institutional Recognition
The Dronacharya Award for regular coaching excellence was presented to Parveer Singh for athletics, Chhote Lal Yadav for boxing, and Neha Nandkumar Chauhan for shooting. These coaches were recognised for guiding athletes to podium finishes at international events. In the lifetime category for the Dronacharya Award, Dharmendra Singh Yadav for boxing and Virender Kumar for wrestling were honoured for their decades of dedicated service.
The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar, which acknowledges institutional work in sports promotion and development, was conferred upon the Army Paralympic Node in Pune. This recognition highlights its efforts in developing and training adaptive athletes. The awards collectively acknowledge sporting excellence, coaching contributions, and the broader promotion of sports. Applications for these awards were invited through an online portal, allowing sportspersons, coaches, and entities to self-apply. A selection committee comprising eminent sportspersons, sports journalists, and administrators assessed the large number of applications received. All awardees are scheduled to receive their honours at a ceremony shortly.
Source: english.gujaratsamachar.com
