Footballer Arumainayagam gets Lifetime Achievement Award, 17 players receive Arjuna Awards

The Ministry of Sports announced the National Sports Awards on Tuesday. This year, 17 players have been selected for the Arjuna Award. The list includes prominent names such as chess players Divya Deshmukh and Vidit Gujrathi, athlete Tejaswin Shankar, and badminton players Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly. At the same time, this year, no player has been selected for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Football legend I. Arumainayagam has been honored in the lifetime category of the Arjuna Award.

Divya Deshmukh had won the FIDE Women’s World Cup

In the field of chess, Divya Deshmukh and Vidit Gujrathi have been selected for the Arjuna Award. Divya won the FIDE Women’s World Cup title in 2025, achieving a major accomplishment. With this success, she established a special identity for herself in Indian women’s chess. Vidit Gujrathi has also been among India’s top chess players for a long time and has represented the country at the international level.

Gayatri-Treesa honored in badminton

In badminton, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly have been selected for the Arjuna Award. Both have been among India’s leading players in women’s doubles. The Gayatri Gopichand-Treesa Jolly pair won the women’s doubles title at the Syed Modi International in 2025. Both have played several important matches for India in international competitions.

Tejaswin Shankar also on the Arjuna Award list

In athletics, Tejaswin Shankar will receive the Arjuna Award. He has represented India in high jump as well as decathlon.

Tejaswin made history by winning a medal in the decathlon at the Commonwealth Games. Considering his performance, he has been selected for the Arjuna Award this year.

Football legend Arumainayagam gets lifetime honor

Football legend I. Arumainayagam has been honored in the lifetime category of the Arjuna Award. He has been given this honor in view of his long contribution to the field of sports.

No Khel Ratna this year

The most notable thing about this year’s National Sports Awards is that no player has been given the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Meanwhile, 17 players have been selected for the Arjuna Award, including players from different sports such as chess, badminton and athletics.