Divya Deshmukh, Vidit Gujrathi Lead 17 Stars Selected for Arjuna Award

Chess World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh, Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, and athletics star Tejaswin Shankar feature among 17 prominent sportspersons selected for the prestigious Arjuna Award by the Sports Ministry.

The announcements followed recommendations by a high-level selection committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Arun Kumar Mishra, evaluating performances over the past four years.

17 Athletes Selected for Arjuna Honours

The list of Arjuna Award recipients highlights achievements across multiple disciplines.


Coaching Excellence and Institutional Support

The Dronacharya Award for regular coaching excellence went to Parveer Singh (athletics), Chhote Lal Yadav (boxing), and Neha Nandkumar Chauhan (shooting) for guiding athletes to podium finishes at international events. Dharmendra Singh Yadav (boxing) and Virendra Kumar (wrestling) were selected for the Dronacharya Award (Lifetime) in recognition of decades of dedicated service.

The Army Paralympic Node in Pune was conferred the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar for its institutional work in developing and training adaptive athletes.

Top Honour Left Vacant

The Sports Ministry did not name any athlete for India’s highest sporting accolade, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, this year.

All awardees will receive their honors at a ceremony scheduled to take place shortly.