Satwik, Chirag chosen for Khel Ratna, Shami and 25 athletes for Arjuna Award, confirms Sports Ministry.

The annual sports awards nominations received official approval from the Sports Ministry on Wednesday. Notably, badminton players Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty secured the prestigious Khel Ratna honor, while pacer Mohammed Shami and 25 other sports persons were confirmed for the Arjuna award. The awards ceremony, set to take place on January 9 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, will be presided over by President Droupadi Murmu.

Chirag and Satwik boast an impressive record, achieving success as Asian Games gold medallists, World Championships bronze winners, and Commonwealth Games silver medallists. On a different front, Shami's outstanding performance in the ODI World Cup, where he emerged as the leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets in seven matches, contributed to India's second-place finish.

Among the 26 athletes chosen for the Arjuna award are hockey players Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Sushila Chanu, archers Ojas Pravin Deotale and Aditi Gopichand Swami, boxer Mohammad Hussamuddin, chess player R Vaishali, golfer Diksha Dagar, shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Esha Singh, and wrestlers Antim Panghal and Sunil Kumar, along with others. The nominations were finalized by a government panel on December 13.

In addition to the player awards, the ministry approved five coaches for the Dronacharya award in the regular category and three in the lifetime category. The Dyan Chand award in the lifetime category will be conferred upon three deserving individuals.

Furthermore, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, is set to receive the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2023, with Lovely Professional University, Punjab, and Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, securing the first and second runner-up positions. The National Sports Awards, an annual tradition, aim to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in sports.