News
National Sports Awards 2022 Announced
Sharath Kamal Achanta to receive Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2022
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced the National Sports Awards 2022 on 14th November 2022.
The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 30th November 2022 (Wednesday) at 1600 hrs.
Based on the recommendations of the Committee and after due scrutiny, the Government has decided to confer awards upon the following sportspersons, coaches, and entities:
(i) Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2022
| S. No. | Name of the sportsperson | Discipline |
| 1. | Shri Sharath Kamal Achanta | Table Tennis |
(ii) Arjuna Awards for outstanding performance in Sports and Games 2022
| S. No. | Name of the sportsperson | Discipline |
| 1. | Ms. Seema Punia | Athletics |
| 2. | Shri Eldhose Paul | Athletics |
| 3. | Shri Avinash Mukund Sable | Athletics |
| 4. | Shri Lakshya Sen | Badminton |
| 5. | Shri Prannoy HS | Badminton |
| 6. | Shri Amit | Boxing |
| 7. | Ms. Nikhat Zareen | Boxing |
| 8. | Ms. Bhakti Pradip Kulkarni | Chess |
| 9. | Shri R Praggnanandhaa | Chess |
| 10. | Ms. Deep Grace Ekka | Hockey |
| 11. | Ms. Shushila Devi | Judo |
| 12. | Ms. Sakshi Kumari | Kabaddi |
| 13. | Ms. Nayan Moni Saikia | Lawn Bowl |
| 14. | Shri Sagar Kailas Ovhalkar | Mallakhamb |
| 15. | Ms. ElavenilValarivan | Shooting |
| 16. | Shri Omprakash Mitharval | Shooting |
| 17. | Ms. Sreeja Akula | Table Tennis |
| 18. | Shri Vikas Thakur | Weightlifting |
| 19. | Ms. Anshu | Wrestling |
| 20. | Ms. Sarita | Wrestling |
| 21. | Shri Parveen | Wushu |
| 22. | Ms. Manasi Girishchandra Joshi | Para-Badminton |
| 23. | Shri Tarun Dhillon | Para Badminton |
| 24. | Shri Swapnil Sanjay Patil | Para Swimming |
| 25. | Ms. Jerlin Anika J | Deaf Badminton |
(iii) Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games 2022
A. Regular Category:
| S. No. | Name of the Coach (S/Shri/Ms) | Discipline |
| 1. | Shri Jiwanjot Singh Teja | Archery |
| 2. | Shri Mohammad Ali Qamar | Boxing |
| 3. | Ms. Suma Siddharth Shirur | Para Shooting |
| 4. | Shri Sujeet Maan | Wrestling |
B. Lifetime Category:
| S.No. | Name of the Coach (S/Shri/Ms) | Discipline |
| 1. | Shri Dinesh Jawahar Lad | Cricket |
| 2. | Shri Bimal Prafulla Ghosh | Football |
| 3. | Shri Raj Singh | Wrestling |
(iv) Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games 2022
| S. No. | Name of the sportsperson | Discipline |
| 1. | Ms. Ashwini Akkunji C. | Athletics |
| 2. | Shri Dharamvir Singh | Hockey |
| 3. | Shri B.C Suresh | Kabaddi |
| 4. | Shri Nir Bahadur Gurung | Para Athletics |
(v) Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2022
| S. No. | Category | Entity recommended for RashtriyaKhel Protsahan Puruskar, 2022 |
| 1. | Identification and Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent | TransStadia Enterprises Private Limited |
| 2. | Encouragement to sports through Corporate Social Responsibility | Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology |
| 3. | Sports for Development | Ladakh Ski & Snowboard Association |
(vi) Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2022:
Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
National Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports.
- ‘Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award’ is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over the period of the previous four years.
- ‘Arjuna Award for outstanding performance in Sports and Games’ is given for good performance over a period of the previous four years and for showing qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
- ‘Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games’ is given to coaches for doing outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and for enabling sportspersons to excel in International events.
- ‘Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games’ is given to honour sportspersons who have contributed to sports through their performance and who continue to contribute to the promotion of sports even after their retirement.
- ‘Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar’ is given to corporate entities (both in the private and public sector), Sports Control Boards, NGOs, including sports bodies at the State and National level, who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.
The overall top-performing university in inter-university tournaments is given the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy.
This year, for the first time, applications were invited only online and sportspersons/coaches/entities were permitted to self-apply through a dedicated portal.
A large number of nominations were received for these awards this year, which were considered by the Selection Committee headed by Justice A. M. Khanwilkar, Retd. Judge, Supreme Court of India and consisting of eminent sportspersons, persons having experience in sports journalism, and sports administrators.