Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) announced the National Sports Awards 2023 which will be conferred on 42 sportspersons, coaches and entities under 5 categories on 9th January 2024 by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, Delhi.
- The awards were recommended by the selection committee headed by Justice A. M. Khanwilkar, (Retd. Judge, Supreme Court of India) and consisting of members including eminent sportspersons, persons having experience in sports journalism and sports administrators.
Key Highlights
i.Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2023 will be given to the Badminton duo Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty and Rankireddy Satwik Sai Raj.
- The award is conferred to both the sports persons having similar achievements on account of team performance.
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2023
Number of awardees: 2
| Name of the sportsperson* | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Shri Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty | Badminton |
| Rankireddy Satwik Sai Raj | Badminton |
It is the highest sporting honour of India. It is given for the most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years. It was formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. In August 2021, it was renamed the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
- Award – It comprises a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of Rs 25 Lakh each
- First Winner – Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand
- Established – 1991-1992
ii.Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar (Punjab) won the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2023 for the record 25th time.
Arjuna Awards for outstanding performance in Sports and Games 2023
Number of Awardees – 26
| Name of the sportsperson | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Ojas Pravin Deotale | Archery |
| Ms Aditi Gopichand Swami | Archery |
| Shri Sreeshankar M | Athletics |
| Ms Parul Chaudhary | Athletics |
| Shri Mohameed Hussamuddin | Boxing |
| Ms R Vaishali | Chess |
| Shri Mohammed Shami | Cricket |
| Shri Anush Agarwalla | Equestrian |
| Ms Divyakriti Singh | Equestrian Dressage |
| Ms Diksha Dagar | Golf |
| Shri Krishan Bahadur Pathak | Hockey |
| Ms Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu | Hockey |
| Shri Pawan Kumar | Kabaddi |
| Ms Ritu Negi | Kabaddi |
| Ms Nasreen | Kho-Kho |
| Ms Pinki | Lawn Bowls |
| Shri Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar | Shooting |
| Ms Esha Singh | Shooting |
| Shri Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu | Squash |
| Ms Ayhika Mukherjee | Table Tennis |
| Shri Sunil Kumar | Wrestling |
| Ms Antim | Wrestling |
| Ms Naorem Roshibina Devi | Wushu |
| Ms Sheetal Devi | Para Archery |
| Shri Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy | Blind Cricket |
| Ms Prachi Yadav | Para Canoeing |
It is the second-highest sporting honour of India to acknowledge good performance over a period of the previous four years and for showing qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline. It should be noted that the Arjuna Award was the highest sporting honour of India before the introduction of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 1991-1992.
- Award– It comprises a Bronze statuette of Arjuna, a Certificate, a Ceremonial Dress, and a Cash Prize of Rs 15 lakh
- First Winner– 20 Sportspersons
- Established – 1961
Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports and Games 2023
Number of Awardees: 8 (5 Regular Category & 3 in Lifetime Category)
Regular Category:
| Name of the Coach | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Shri Lalit Kumar | Wrestling |
| Shri R. B. Ramesh | Chess |
| Shri Mahaveer Prasad Saini | Para Athletics |
| Shri Shivendra Singh | Hockey |
| Shri Ganesh Prabhakar Devrukhkar | Mallakhamb |
Lifetime Category: For the Coaches who have helped sportspersons achieve excellence over a period of 20 years or more.
| Name of the Coach | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Shri Jaskirat Singh Grewal | Golf |
| Shri Bhaskaran E | Kabaddi |
| Shri Jayanta Kumar Pushilal | Table Tennis |
It is the sports coaching honour of India for the outstanding and meritorious work of coaches consistently and for enabling sportspersons to excel in international events.
- Award– It comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a Certificate, a Ceremonial dress, and a Cash prize of Rs 15 lakh for lifetime achievement, and Rs 10 Lakh for regular.
- First Winner– Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat (Wrestling), Om Prakash Bhardwaj (Boxing), and Othayothu Madhavan Nambiar (Athletics) in the Regular Category. Athletics coach Kuntal Roy and Hockey coach Rajinder Singh in the Lifetime Category.
- Established– 1985 (Regular); 2011(Lifetime)
Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games 2023:
Number of Awardees: 3
| Name of the sportsperson | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Ms Manjusha Kanwar | Badminton |
| Shri Vineet Kumar Sharma | Hockey |
| Ms Kavitha Selvaraj | Kabaddi |
This award recognises sportspersons who have contributed to sports through their performance and who continue to contribute to the promotion of sports events after their retirement
- Award- It comprises a statuette, a Certificate, a Ceremonial Dress, and a Cash Prize of Rs 10 Lakh
- First Winner– Shahuraj Birajdar (Boxing), Ashok Diwan (Hockey), and Aparna Ghosh (Basketball)
- Established- 2002
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2023:
| Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar | Overall winner university |
| Lovely Professional University, Punjab | 1st runner-up University |
| Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana | 2nd runner-up University |
It honours the overall top-performing university in inter-university tournaments.
- Awards- A rolling MAKA trophy and a cash prize of Rs 15 Lakh
- First Winner-Bombay University, Mumbai
- Established- 1956-57
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About the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS):
Union Minister– Anurag Singh Thakur (Constituency- Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS)– Nisith Pramanik (constituency- CoochBehar, West Bengal)
