Introduction: Celebrating Excellence in Sports

The National Sports Awards 2023, organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The primary objective of these awards is to recognize and honour exemplary contributions and outstanding performances in the field of sports. This year, individuals and institutions from various sectors of sports were felicitated for their commendable accomplishments.

Glittering Stars of the Show: Award Recipients

The awards were categorised into the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Dronacharya Award, and Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award. The key recipients were:

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award:

- Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty for their exceptional performance in Badminton.

Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports and Games:

- Ganesh Prabhakaran for Mallakhamb

- Mahavir Saini for Para Athletics

- Lalit Kumar for Wrestling

- R.B. Ramesh for Chess

- Shivendra Singh for Hockey

Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award:

- Kavita for her contribution to Kabaddi

- Manjusha Kanwar for her outstanding work in Badminton

- Vineet Kumar Sharma for his noteworthy work in Hockey.

Commending Noteworthy Contributions: National Sports Awards Winners

Apart from these, several other sports persons were commended for their significant contributions:

- Cricket: Mohammed Shami

- Kabaddi Pawan Sehrawat, Ritu Negi

- Chess: Vaishali Rameshbabu

- Athletics: Murali Sreeshankar, Parul Chaudhary

- Hockey: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Sushila Chanu

Additional winners hailed from sectors including archery, table tennis, boxing, wrestling, golf, and para canoeing, among others.

Praising Institutions for Boosting Sports: Outstanding Sports Institutions

Not just individuals, but also institutions nurturing and promoting sports were acknowledged. The following institutions stood out:

- Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar emerged as the winners

- Lovely Professional University, Punjab were the 1st runners-up

- Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra were the 2nd runners-up.

General Knowledge Connect: Khel Ratna Award

This award, renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, is India's highest sporting honour. It is given for spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of one year.

Concluding Points:

The National Sports Awards 2023 indeed served as a grand salute to India's dynamic sports personalities and institutions. These accolades play a crucial role in encouraging the sports culture in India and recognizing the tireless efforts of athletes and other participants of the sporting ecosystem. The event further consolidates India's commitment to fostering an environment conducive to sports.