New Delhi, Aug 2026 : Decathlon star Tejaswin Shankar and chess sensation Divya Deshmukh are among 17 sportspersons selected for the prestigious Arjuna Awards as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Tuesday announced the National Sports Awards 2025.
The list recognises athletes from a wide range of disciplines, including athletics, badminton, chess, boxing, hockey, kabaddi, shooting, rowing and para-sports. India's leading women's badminton doubles duo Treesa Jolly and Pullela Gayatri Gopichand, FIDE Women's World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh, track and field athlete Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and race walker Priyanka Goswami are among the recipients.
The other Arjuna Award winners include boxer Narender, chess player Vidit Santosh Gujarathi, para shooter Dhanush Srikanth, hockey players Lalremsiami Hmarzote and Rajkumar Pal, kabaddi players Surjeet and Pooja, para shooter Rudransh Khandelwal, para athlete Ekta Bhyan, rower Arvind Singh and shooter Akhil Sheoran.
Tejaswin Shankar's selection comes after a landmark achievement at the Commonwealth Games, where he became the first Indian athlete to win a medal in the decathlon, claiming a bronze. His performance established him as one of India's leading multi-event athletes and added another significant milestone to his career.
Divya Deshmukh, meanwhile, earned recognition following her historic triumph at the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. She became the first Indian woman to win the prestigious title after defeating compatriot and former world championship challenger Koneru Humpy in an all-Indian final. Divya prevailed 1.5-0.5 in the rapid tiebreaks in Baku, completing a remarkable campaign and creating history in Indian chess.
The Sports Ministry said the awardees were selected based on the recommendations of a committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra.
The Arjuna Award for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games is presented to athletes who have demonstrated excellence over the preceding four years, along with qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and discipline.
Veteran Indian footballer Isaiah Arumainayagam will receive the Arjuna Award (Lifetime) in recognition of his contribution to Indian football. He was part of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta and also represented India at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup in Israel, where the team finished runners-up.
The Lifetime Arjuna Award is conferred on sportspersons who have made significant contributions through their performances and continued to promote and develop sports even after retiring from active competition.
The Dronacharya Award will be presented to athletics coach Parveer Singh, boxing coach Chhote Lal Yadav and shooting coach Neha Nandkumar Chavan for their contribution to nurturing sporting talent and producing high-performing athletes.
The Army Paralympic Node, Pune will receive the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, which recognises corporate entities and non-governmental organisations that make notable contributions towards the promotion and development of sports.
The National Sports Awards are presented annually by the government to recognise outstanding achievements across sporting disciplines and honour athletes, coaches and institutions that have contributed significantly to India's sporting ecosystem.
