India’s Performance in Sports have been spectacular in the year 2023, with securing a total haul of 107 medals in Asian Games. Today, On January 9, In a National Sports Awards ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan, Indian top sports stars from Cricketer Mohammad Shami to Badminton Duo Shuttlers Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy shined through, as they were honoured by President Draupadi Murmu.
The traditional awards ceremony, typically observed on August 29 to honour the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, was rescheduled last year. The Hangzhou Asian Games, taking place from September 23 to October 8, led the organisers to delay the ceremony.
The decision to postpone ensured that the athletes' exceptional performances at the Asian Games could be appropriately acknowledged during the celebratory event.
Cricket Mohammed Shami and para archer Sheetal Devi are among 26 athletes and para-athletes who were conferred with Arjuna Award this year in the Durbar Hall.
Para-archer Sheetal Devi won three gold medals at the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou. At just 16, she's an international para-archery champion without upper limbs due to a rare condition called Phocomelia.
Cricketer Mohammed Shami took 24 wickets in 7 world cup matches last year. He on X, said “ Today, I am filled with immense pride as I receive the esteemed Arjuna Award from the President.” He also congratulated his fellow Arjuna Award winners.
Newly-crowned chess Grandmaster R. Vaishali, elder sister of chess talent R. Praggnanandhaa, was also honoured with Arjuna Awards. She became the third Indian woman, after Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika, to achieve the Grandmaster title.
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Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu, the accomplished squash player, earned the distinction of being the 11th squash player to receive the prestigious Arjuna Award.
The teenage pistol sensation, Esha Singh, was the only absentee at the ceremony, missing out on the award ceremony for her remarkable achievements. Competing in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Jakarta, 19-year-old Esha Singh secured her spot in the Paris Olympics after winning individual and team gold in 10m air pistol.
Meanwhile, Shuttlers Duo Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy were honoured with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. They achieved historic milestones by capturing India's maiden badminton gold at the Asian Games, claiming victory at the Asian Championships, and securing the Indonesia Open Super 1000 title. However, they remained absent from the ceremony because of their participation in the Malaysia Open Super 1000.
The Khel Ratna carries a cash prize of ₹25 lakh, while the Arjuna and Dronacharya awards come with a cash reward of ₹15 lakh each.
NATIONAL SPORTS AWARDEES 2023
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2023: Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (badminton).
- Arjuna Awards: Ojas Pravin Deotale (archery), Aditi Gopichand Swami (archery), Murali Sreeshankar (athletics), Parul Chaudhary (athletics), Mohammad 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 Panghal (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), R.B. 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).
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