Major Awards Recommended for Indian Athletes
Two-time Olympic bronze medallist hockey player Hardik Singh has been recommended for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, the highest award for sportspersons given by the government. In addition, athletes Tejaswin Shankar, Priyanka, chess grandmaster Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, Divya Deshmukh, shooters Akhil Sheoran and Mehuli Ghosh, and the women’s badminton pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have been nominated for the Arjuna Award by the committee established by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Hardik Singh’s Achievements
The committee met on Wednesday and recommended 27-year-old Hardik for the Khel Ratna because of his significant contributions to the Indian hockey team over the past two years. He played a crucial role in the Indian team’s successes, securing bronze medals at the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games. Hardik also contributed to the Indian team’s gold medal win at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023 and the Asia Cup 2025 in Rajgir.
Born in Khusropur, Punjab, Hardik has been a key player for the Indian men’s hockey team, accumulating 166 caps with the national team. He is currently employed with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). Notably, six hockey players have previously been awarded the Khel Ratna: Dhanraj Pillay (1999-2000), Sardar Singh (2017), Rani Rampal (2020), PR Sreejesh (2021), Manpreet Singh (2021), and Harmanpreet Singh (2024).
Sources indicate that Hardik’s was the only name the panel recommended. It was surprising to many that no member of the Indian women’s cricket team, which made history last month by winning their first Women’s ODI World Cup title, was considered.
Previous Recipients and Other Recommendations
Interestingly, last year’s Khel Ratna was awarded to Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh, along with two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, chess prodigy Gukesh D, and para-athlete Praveen Kumar.
The selection committee has also recommended 24 sportspersons for the Arjuna Awards. Among them is Aarti Pal, who made history by becoming the first yogasana athlete to be nominated for this honour. Aarti is the reigning national and Asian champion in yogasana, which will be showcased as a demonstration sport at the Asian Games in Japan next year.
Other notable recommendations include rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh, gymnast Pranati Nayak, and India’s top-ranked women’s badminton pairs, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand. Polo star Padmanabh Singh, along with Sonam Malik (wrestling), Sutirtha Mukherjee (table tennis), Rudransh Khandelwal (para-shooting), Olympian rower Arvind Singh, and Ekta Bhyan (para-athletics), have also received nominations.
It is important to note that no cricketer is featured among this year’s recommendations, with Mohammed Shami being the last cricketer to receive the Arjuna Award in 2023. The committee did not propose any names for the Dronacharya Award or the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award.
Recommendations Summary
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: Hardik Singh (hockey)
- Arjuna Award:
- Tejaswin Shankar (athletics)
- Priyanka (athletics)
- Narender (boxing)
- Vidit Gujrathi (chess)
- Divya Deshmukh (chess)
- Dhanush Srikanth (deaf shooting)
- Pranati Nayak (gymnastics)
- Rajkumar Pal (hockey)
- Surjeet (kabaddi)
- Nirmala Bhati (kho kho)
- Rudransh Khandelwal (para-shooting)
- Ekta Bhyan (para-athletics)
- Padmanabh Singh (polo)
- Arvind Singh (rowing)
- Akhil Sheoran (shooting)
- Mehuli Ghosh (shooting)
- Sutirtha Mukherjee (table tennis)
- Sonam Malik (wrestling)
- Aarti Pal (yogasana)
- Treesa Jolly (badminton)
- Gayatri Gopichand (badminton)
- Lalremsiami (hockey)
- Mohammed Afsal (athletics)
- Pooja (kabaddi)