National Sports Awards 2024: -The National Sports Awards for 2024 have been announced, celebrating the outstanding achievements of India’s top athletes and coaches. Among the highlights, World Chess Champion D Gukesh, Paris Olympics double medalist Manu Bhaker, Indian hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, and Paris Paralympics gold medalist Praveen Kumar will be honored with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.

Arjuna Awards

Thirty-two sportspersons will receive the Arjuna Award this year, recognizing their remarkable contributions across various disciplines. The awardees include:

• Athletics: Jyothi Yarraji, Annu Rani
• Boxing: Nitu, Saweety
• Chess: Vantika Agrawal
• Hockey: Salima Tete, Abhishek, Sanjay, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh
• Para-Archer: Rakesh Kumar
• Para-Athletes: Preeti Pal, Jeevanji Deepthi, Ajeet Singh, Sachin Khilari

Additionally, veteran athlete Sucha Singh and veteran para-swimmer Murlikant Petkar will be honored with the Arjuna Award for Lifetime Achievement.

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Dronacharya Awards

The Dronacharya Award, recognizing excellence in coaching, will be presented to:

• Para-Shooting: Subhash Rana
• Shooting: Deepali Deshpande
• Hockey: Sandeep Sangwan
• Badminton: S Muralidharan
• Football: Armando Agnelo Colaco

Other Honors

• The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar will be awarded to the Physical Education Foundation of India for its contributions to sports promotion.
• The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy will go to Chandigarh University, Lovely Professional University, and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, recognizing their excellence in sports and physical education.

Historic Achievements

Nagaland para-athlete Hokato Hotozhe Sema made history by winning a bronze medal in shot put at the Paris Paralympics 2024, becoming the first athlete from Nagaland to achieve this milestone. Sema, who will also receive the Arjuna Award, expressed his joy in an exclusive interview with Akashvani News Kohima. He called the award a fulfillment of his lifelong dream and set his sights on excelling at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics with the ultimate aim of winning the Khel Ratna.

Sema joins the ranks of Nagaland’s elite athletes, becoming the second person from the state to receive the Arjuna Award, following Chekrovolü Swüro’s recognition in archery in 2013.

Award Ceremony

The awardees will be honored by President Droupadi Murmu at a special ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17th. The Selection Committee, chaired by former Supreme Court Judge Justice (Retd.) V. Ramasubramanian, included eminent sportspersons, experienced sports journalists, and administrators.

These awards celebrate India’s rich sports legacy and inspire future generations to achieve excellence on global platforms.