National Sports Awards 2025 announced: 17 Arjuna awardees
The Sports Ministry on 18 August 2026 announced the National Sports Awards 2025, naming 17 Arjuna awardees and five Dronacharya awardees on the recommendation of a committee chaired by Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra.
Summary
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on 18 August 2026 announced the National Sports Awards 2025, based on the recommendations of a selection committee chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra. Seventeen sportspersons get the Arjuna Award, among them athletes Tejaswin Shankar and Priyanka Goswami, badminton pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, chess players Vidit Gujrathi and Divya Deshmukh, and hockey player Lalremsiami. Footballer I. Arumainayagam gets the Arjuna Award (Lifetime). The Dronacharya Award goes to Parveer Singh (athletics), Chhote Lal Yadav (boxing) and Neha Nandkumar Chavan (shooting) in the regular category, and to Dharmendra Singh Yadav (boxing) and Virender Kumar (wrestling) in the lifetime category. The Army Paralympic Node, Pune, gets the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar.
Key facts
- Selection committee chair
- Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra
- Arjuna Award
- 17 sportspersons
- Arjuna (Lifetime)
- I. Arumainayagam (football)
- Dronacharya (regular)
- Parveer Singh, Chhote Lal Yadav, Neha Nandkumar Chavan
- Dronacharya (lifetime)
- Dharmendra Singh Yadav, Virender Kumar
- Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar
- Army Paralympic Node, Pune
Practice MCQs 4 questions
Who chaired the selection committee for the National Sports Awards 2025, announced on 18 August 2026?
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Correct answer: B — Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra
The selection committee was chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra.
Which entity received the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2025?
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Correct answer: D — Army Paralympic Node, Pune
The Army Paralympic Node, Pune, was the sole entity named for the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2025.
Who received the Arjuna Award (Lifetime) 2025, and in which sport?
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Correct answer: A — I. Arumainayagam, football
Footballer I. Arumainayagam received the Arjuna Award (Lifetime); the others are Dronacharya awardees.
Consider the following statements about the National Sports Awards 2025: 1. Chess players Vidit Gujrathi and Divya Deshmukh are among the Arjuna awardees. 2. The Dronacharya Award (regular category) went to coaches in athletics, boxing and shooting. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct. The regular Dronacharya awardees are Parveer Singh (athletics), Chhote Lal Yadav (boxing) and Neha Nandkumar Chavan (shooting).