National Sports Awards 2025 Announced by Sports Ministry

The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced the National Sports Awards 2025 on 18 August 2026. The awards were finalised on the basis of recommendations made by a selection committee chaired by Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra, a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India.

Major National Sports Awards

The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna is India’s highest sporting honour and is named after Major Dhyan Chand, the hockey player known for his Olympic career in the 1920s and 1930s. No recipient was selected for the Khel Ratna for 2025, and the final list did not include any winner in this category. The Arjuna Award is one of India’s main sporting honours and is given for consistent performance at the international level. Seventeen athletes were selected for the Arjuna Award in 2025, including Vidit Gujarathi, Divya Deshmukh, Tejaswin Shankar, Gayatri Gopichand, and Treesa Jolly.

Lifetime and Coaching Categories

The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) is given to former sportspersons for lifetime contribution to sport. I Arumainayagam, a former Indian footballer and coach and a gold medallist at the 1962 Asian Games, was selected as the sole recipient in this category. The Dronacharya Award is India’s award for coaches and is named after Dronacharya, the teacher from the Mahabharata. Three coaches were selected in the Regular Category: Parveer Singh for athletics, Chhote Lal Yadav for boxing, and Neha Nandkumar Chavan for shooting. Two coaches were selected in the Lifetime Category: Dharmendra Singh Yadav for boxing and Virender Kumar for wrestling.

Promotion and Selection Process

The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar is awarded for sports promotion and development by institutions, corporate bodies, and organisations. The Army Paralympic Node in Pune was selected for the 2025 award in this category. All nominations for the 2025 awards were processed through a dedicated online portal. The portal allowed individuals and organisations to submit self-applications for consideration.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna was instituted in 1991 and was renamed in 2021 after Major Dhyan Chand.
• The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961 and is one of the oldest sports honours in India.
• The Dronacharya Award was instituted in 1985 for outstanding coaches in sports.
• The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar was instituted in 2009 for sports promotion and development.

Selection Committee and Administration

The selection committee for the National Sports Awards 2025 was chaired by Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra, who served on the Supreme Court of India. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is the nodal ministry for the administration of these national sporting honours.