National Sports Awards 2023: Check Complete List of Winners

9 January 2024Neeraj Mishra

Table of Contents

Complete list of National Sports Awards Winners 2023

Key Highlights:

Mohammed Shami was awarded the Arjuna Award.
A total of 26 athletes received the Arjuna award.
Chirag and Satwik were conferred with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award

on January 9, 2024, President Droupadi Murmu presented the ‘Khel Ratna’ and ‘Arjuna’ awards at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Mohammed Shami honored with the Arjuna Award

Mohammed Shami, was honored with the Arjuna Award by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. Shami’s exceptional performance in the ODI World Cup 2023 led to his recommendation by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Finishing as the top bowler in the World Cup 2023, Shami secured an impressive 24 wickets from just 7 matches.

A total of 26 athletes were recognized with the Arjuna Award for their outstanding achievements in 2023, with a notable presence of athletes who excelled at the Asian Games 2023.

Note:

The awards ceremony, typically scheduled for August 29 to honor the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, was postponed due to the Hangzhou Asian Games, which took place from September 23 to October 8 last year.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award:

Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (badminton) were conferred with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award in recognition of their outstanding achievements in 2023.

Their notable accomplishments include securing India’s inaugural Asian Games gold in badminton, clinching the Asian Championships title, and emerging victorious in the Indonesia Open Super 1000.

Dronacharya awardees

Among the Dronacharya awardees was chess coach RB Ramesh, acknowledged for fostering talent such as Praggnanandhaa.

Full List of Arjuna Award Winners 2023:

Aditi Gopichand Swami – Archery
Ojas Pravin Deotale – Archery
Sreeshankar Murali – Athletics
Parul Chaudhary – Athletics
Mohameed Hussamuddin – Boxing
R Vaishali – Chess
Mohammed Shami – Cricket
Anush Agarwalla – Equestrian
Divyakriti Singh – Equestrian Dressage
Diksha Dagar – Golf
Krishan Bahadur Pathak – Hockey
Pukhrambam 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):

Lalit Kumar (Wrestling)
RB Ramesh (Chess)
Mahaveer Prasad Saini (Para Athletics)
Shivendra Singh (Hockey)
Ganesh Prabhakar Devrukhkar (Mallakhamb)

Dronacharya Award (Lifetime Category):

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:

Overall Winner University: Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
1st Runner-up: Lovely Professional University, Punjab
2nd Runner-up: Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra

About Khel Ratna Award

The Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting honor in India, presented annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It recognizes outstanding achievements in sports by Indian athletes.

Khel Ratna award is named after Major Dhyan Chand, the legendary field hockey player, and is given to individuals or teams who have demonstrated exceptional performances in the field of sports over a sustained period.

About Arjuna Award

The Arjuna Award holds the distinction of being the second-highest sporting honor in India, following the Khel Ratna Award.

Acknowledged as the second-highest athletic honor in India, the Arjuna Award is granted to individuals who have demonstrated leadership, sportsmanship, and discipline, along with outstanding performance over the previous four years.

About Dronacharya Award

The Dronacharya Award is a prestigious sports honor presented in India to coaches for their outstanding contribution in shaping the careers of athletes.

Instituted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the award is named after Dronacharya, a revered character from the Indian epic, Mahabharata, who was a skilled teacher and mentor in archery.

The Dronacharya Award is given in two categories: Regular and Lifetime.

In the Regular category, coaches are recognized for their significant impact on the performance of athletes during the year, while in the Lifetime category, coaches are honored for their lifetime contribution to sports coaching.

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