National Sports Awards 2025: Tejaswin Shankar, Divya Deshmukh, Treesa Jolly, and 14 Others To Receive Arjuna Award
The Government has announced the National Sports Awards 2025, with 17 sportspersons, including Tejaswin Shankar, Divya Deshmukh, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, selected for the Arjuna Award. Veteran footballer Isaiah Arumainayagam will receive the lifetime honour, while five coaches and Army Paralympic Node, Pune, will also be recognised.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports on Tuesday, August 18, announced the National Sports Awards 2025, recognising 17 sportspersons with the Arjuna Award for outstanding performance in Sports and Games. The list includes athletes Tejaswin Shankar, Muhammed Ajmal V and Priyanka Goswami, badminton players Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri Gopichand, chess players Vidit Santosh Gujarathi and Divya Jitendra Deshmukh, and hockey players Lalremsiami and Rajkumar Pal.
The Government also announced the Arjuna Award (Lifetime) for footballer I Arumainayagam, while five coaches will receive the Dronacharya Award in the regular and lifetime categories. The Army Paralympic Node, Pune, has been selected for the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2025. The awards were decided on the recommendations of a Selection Committee chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra. Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur To Be Conferred With Padma Shri Award For Contribution In Field Of Sports.
17 Sportspersons to Receive Arjuna Award 2025
The Arjuna Award for outstanding performance in Sports and Games is given for good performance over the previous four years, along with qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and discipline.
The 2025 list covers 17 sportspersons from athletics, badminton, boxing, chess, deaf shooting, hockey, kabaddi, para-sports, rowing and shooting.
| Sl. No. | Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shri Tejaswin Shankar | Athletics |
| 2 | Shri Muhammed Ajmal V | Athletics |
| 3 | Ms. Priyanka Goswami | Athletics |
| 4 | Ms. Treesa Jolly | Badminton |
| 5 | Ms. Pullela Gayatri Gopichand | Badminton |
| 6 | Shri Narender | Boxing |
| 7 | Shri Vidit Santosh Gujarathi | Chess |
| 8 | Ms. Divya Jitendra Deshmukh | Chess |
| 9 | Shri Dhanush Srikanth | Deaf shooting |
| 10 | Ms. Lalremsiami | Hockey |
| 11 | Shri Rajkumar Pal | Hockey |
| 12 | Shri Surjeet | Kabaddi |
| 13 | Ms. Pooja | Kabaddi |
| 14 | Shri Rudransh Khandelwal | Para-shooting |
| 15 | Ms. Ekta Bhyan | Para athletics |
| 16 | Shri Arvind Singh | Rowing |
| 17 | Shri Akhil Sheoran | Shooting |
The selection gives representation to both established Olympic and international disciplines and para-sports. Badminton's Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, as well as chess players Vidit Santosh Gujarathi and Divya Jitendra Deshmukh, are among the prominent names on the list.
Arjuna Award (Lifetime) for I Arumainayagam
The Government has selected footballer I Arumainayagam for the Arjuna Award (Lifetime).
The lifetime category is intended to honour sportspersons who have contributed through their performances and continued to contribute to the promotion of sports after retiring from active competition.
| S. No. | Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
| 1 | Shri I Arumainayagam | Football |
5 Coaches Named for Dronacharya Award 2025
The Dronacharya Award recognises coaches for outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and for enabling sportspersons to excel in international events.
Three coaches have been selected in the regular category.
| S. No. | Name of the Coach | Discipline |
| 1 | Shri Parveer Singh | Athletics |
| 2 | Shri Chhote Lal Yadav | Boxing |
| 3 | Ms. Neha Nandkumar Chavan | Shooting |
Two coaches have been selected in the lifetime category.
| S. No. | Name of the Coach | Discipline |
| 1 | Shri Dharmendra Singh Yadav | Boxing |
| 2 | Shri Virender Kumar | Wrestling |
The distinction between the regular and lifetime categories allows the awards to recognise both sustained coaching excellence and long-term contributions to sport.
Army Paralympic Node, Pune Gets Sports Promotion Award
The Army Paralympic Node, Pune has been selected for the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2025.
The award is given to corporate entities, including public or private organisations, and NGOs that have played a visible role in sports promotion and development.
| S. No. | Name of the Entity |
| 1 | Army Paralympic Node, Pune |
The recognition also highlights the role of institutions and organisations beyond individual athletes and coaches in developing India's sporting ecosystem.
Selection Process
The Ministry said applications for the awards were invited online through a dedicated portal. Sportspersons, coaches and entities were permitted to self-apply through the system.
A large number of applications were received this year. These were considered by the Selection Committee headed by Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra and comprising eminent sportspersons, people with experience in sports journalism and sports administrators. The Government subsequently decided to confer the awards based on the committee's recommendations.
National Sports Awards Recognise Sporting Excellence
The National Sports Awards are presented every year to recognise and reward excellence in sports. The awards cover achievements by athletes and coaches as well as contributions to the wider development and promotion of sports.
The Arjuna Award specifically recognises sustained performance along with leadership, sportsmanship and discipline. The Dronacharya Award focuses on coaches who have enabled athletes to perform at international events, while the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar acknowledges organisations contributing to sports development.
The National Sports Awards are administered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, with the selection process involving a committee of sports professionals, administrators and other experts.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2026 03:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
