India’s sporting talent received another round of national recognition on Tuesday, with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announcing the National Sports Awards 2025 and honouring athletes, coaches and organisations for their performances and contribution to Indian sport.
The awards were announced on August 18, 2026, following recommendations from a selection committee headed by Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra, former Supreme Court judge. The committee included eminent sportspersons, sports administrators and people with experience in sports journalism.
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The National Sports Awards are presented every year to acknowledge outstanding performances and sustained contributions across different sporting disciplines.
17 Athletes Named for Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award for outstanding performance in Sports and Games 2025 has been announced for 17 sportspersons.
The award recognises athletes for strong performances over the previous four years, along with qualities such as leadership, sportsmanship and discipline.
This year’s Arjuna Award recipients are:
– Tejaswin Shankar — Athletics
– Muhammed Ajmal V — Athletics
– Priyanka Goswami — Athletics
– Treesa Jolly — Badminton
– Pullela Gayatri Gopichand — Badminton
– Narender — Boxing
– Vidit Santosh Gujarathi — Chess
– Divya Jitendra Deshmukh — Chess
– Dhanush Srikanth — Deaf Shooting
– Lalremsiami — Hockey
– Rajkumar Pal — Hockey
– Surjeet — Kabaddi
– Pooja — Kabaddi
– Rudransh Khandelwal — Para-Shooting
– Ekta Bhyan — Para-Athletics
– Arvind Singh — Rowing
– Akhil Sheoran — Shooting
I Arumainayagam Gets Arjuna Award (Lifetime)
The ministry has also selected I Arumainayagam from football for the Arjuna Award (Lifetime).
The lifetime award is meant to recognise sportspersons whose contribution extends beyond their active competitive careers and who continue to promote and support sports after retirement.
Five Coaches Receive Dronacharya Awards
The Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games 2025 has also been announced in both regular and lifetime categories.
Under the Regular Category, the recipients are:
– Parveer Singh — Athletics
– Chhote Lal Yadav — Boxing
– Neha Nandkumar Chavan — Shooting
The Lifetime Category honours:
– Dharmendra Singh Yadav — Boxing
– Virender Kumar — Wrestling
The Dronacharya Award recognises coaches who have consistently produced outstanding results and played an important role in helping Indian athletes excel at international competitions.
Army Paralympic Node, Pune Gets Sports Promotion Award
The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2025 has been awarded to the Army Paralympic Node, Pune.
The award recognises corporate entities, public or private organisations and NGOs that have made a visible contribution to the promotion and development of sports.
Selection Process Conducted Through Online Portal
For this year’s awards, applications were invited through a dedicated online portal, allowing sportspersons, coaches and eligible entities to apply directly for consideration.
The ministry said a large number of applications were received this year. These were examined by the selection committee headed by Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra, along with members drawn from the sporting community, sports administration and journalism.
The latest announcement highlights achievements across disciplines ranging from athletics, badminton and boxing to chess, hockey, kabaddi, shooting, para-sports and rowing, bringing a wide cross-section of India’s sporting community into the national awards fold.
