Sports Awards 2025: Paralympians Lead as Khel Ratna Honours Go to Praveen Kumar, Gukesh, Manu Bhaker, Harmanpreet Singh
The National Sports Awards for 2025 have been announced, with Paralympians prominently featured. Among the most prestigious recipients of the Khel Ratna Award (India's highest sporting honour) are:
- Praveen Kumar: Gold medalist at the Paris Paralympics in the T64 classification, which includes athletes with one or both legs missing below the knee.
- D. Gukesh: The youngest-ever World Chess Champion, who triumphed at the World Chess Championship.
- Manu Bhaker: The Olympic medal-winning shooter who made history by becoming the only Indian athlete to win two medals in a single Olympic Games.
- Harmanpreet Singh: The captain of the Indian men's hockey team, who led the team to its second consecutive podium finish at the Olympics.
In addition to the Khel Ratna awards, the Arjuna Awards were also presented, with 32 athletes being honored, 17 of whom are Paralympians.
While the award list was a celebration of achievement, it has also sparked controversy, as some athletes were left out. Paris Paralympic gold medalist Harvinder Singh (archery), along with Yogesh Kathuniya and Sharad Kumar, did not make the cut for the Khel Ratna. Additionally, Asian Games gold medallist archer Jyothi Vennam's omission has been widely discussed.
The recipients of the Khel Ratna will receive ₹25 lakh, a citation, and a medallion. Meanwhile, the Arjuna awardees will be granted a ₹15 lakh cash prize, a statuette, and a citation. The award ceremony is set to take place in New Delhi on January 17, 2025.
Also among the Arjuna awardees is India's first Paralympic gold medallist Mulikant Petkar, who has been honored with the Arjuna Award (Lifetime). His story of resilience and success after being disabled in the 1965 India-Pakistan war was recently depicted in the biopic Chandu Champion.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has emphasized that the list was curated based on the recommendations of a committee after thorough scrutiny. The award ceremony will be hosted at Rashtrapati Bhavan by the President of India.
In coaching honors, Deepali Deshpande, coach of Arjuna awardee Swapnil Kusale, has been chosen for the Dronacharya Award, along with S. Muralidharan (badminton coach) and Armando Colaco (former India football coach), both receiving the Dronacharya Lifetime Achievement Award.
