President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Sports Awards 2025 at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, honouring outstanding sportspersons, coaches and organisations for their contributions to Indian sports. Tejaswin Shankar, Divya Deshmukh and other athletes received the Arjuna Award, while five coaches were honoured with the Dronacharya Award. The ceremony also recognised adventure sports achievers and the Army Paralympic Node, Pune.
President Murmu Presents National Sports Awards 2025
President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Sports Awards 2025 at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, recognising outstanding achievements by Indian sportspersons, coaches and organisations.
Among the prominent recipients of the Arjuna Award for outstanding performance in Sports and Games were decathlon athlete Tejaswin Shankar and chess player Divya Deshmukh, along with other sportspersons from different disciplines.
Tejaswin Shankar made history at the Commonwealth Games by winning a bronze medal in the decathlon, becoming the first Indian athlete to secure a medal in the event at the Games.
Divya Deshmukh earned international recognition by winning the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025, becoming the first Indian woman to claim the prestigious title. In an all-Indian final in Baku, she defeated Koneru Humpy 1.5–0.5 in the rapid tie-breaks.
Other Arjuna Award recipients included Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi in athletics, Priyanak Goswami in race walking, Narender in boxing and Vidit Santosh Gujarathi in chess. Dhanush Srikanth and Rudransh Khandelwal were recognised for para shooting, while Lalremsiami Hmarzote and Rajkumar Pal received the award for hockey. Surjeet and Pooja were honoured for kabaddi, Ekta Bhyan for para athletics, Arvind Singh for rowing and Akhil Sheoran for shooting.
India’s women’s badminton doubles pair, Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri Gopichand, were not present at the ceremony as they were in Japan to participate in the Japan Masters.
Isaiah Arumainayagam Receives Arjuna Award (Lifetime)
Veteran Indian footballer Isaiah Arumainayagam received the Arjuna Award (Lifetime).
The award recognises sportspersons who have made significant contributions through their performances and continue to promote sports after retiring from active competition.
Five Coaches Receive Dronacharya Award
The Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games was presented to five coaches in recognition of their consistent contributions to developing sportspersons and enabling them to excel in international competitions.
The awardees included Parveer Singh for athletics, Chhote Lal Yadav and Dharmendra Singh Yadav for boxing, Neha Nandkumar Chavan for shooting and Virendra Kumar for wrestling.
The Dronacharya Award recognises coaches for outstanding and meritorious work on a sustained basis in sports training and development.
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards 2024 Presented
The President also presented the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards (TNNAA) 2024 to individuals recognised for their achievements in adventure activities.
Baljeet Kaur and Skalzang Rigzin received the award in the Land Adventure category, while Rimo Saha was recognised in the Water Adventure category. Shiv Prasad Chamoli received the Lifetime Achievement award.
The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards cover four categories: Land Adventure, Water Adventure, Air Adventure and Lifetime Achievement.
The awards recognise outstanding achievements in adventure activities and seek to promote endurance, risk-taking, teamwork and effective decision-making in challenging situations.
Army Paralympic Node, Pune, Receives Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar
The Army Paralympic Node, Pune, received the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar for its contribution to the promotion and development of sports. Lt. Col. Daljit Singh received the award from the President.
The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar recognises corporate entities, both public and private, and non-governmental organisations that have played a significant role in promoting and developing sports.
National Sports Awards Selection Process
The National Sports Awards are presented annually to recognise excellence and outstanding contributions to sports.
The Sports Ministry announced the final list of 2025 awardees on August 18, based on recommendations from a Selection Committee chaired by former Supreme Court Judge Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra.
The committee considered a large number of applications and included eminent sportspersons, individuals with experience in sports journalism and sports administrators.
As per the Sports Ministry’s scheme, the awards are ordinarily presented by the President of India on August 29, the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
However, in years when the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games or Asian Games are held, the date of the ceremony is finalised in consultation with the President’s Secretariat, keeping in view the closing dates of the competitions.
The 2025 awards ceremony was held after a delay of more than a year.
The National Sports and Adventure Awards 2025 recognised achievements across athletics, chess, hockey, boxing, shooting, kabaddi and other disciplines, while also honouring coaches, adventure sports achievers and organisations supporting sports development. The ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan reaffirmed the importance of sporting excellence, coaching and institutional support in strengthening India’s sports ecosystem.
