The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Wednesday, 2 September announced the recipients of the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards (TNNAA) 2024, naming four individuals for outstanding contributions across land adventure, water adventure, and lifetime service to the field. President Droupadi Murmu will confer the honours at Rashtrapati Bhavan, alongside the National Sports Awards 2025, with the ceremony date to be announced separately.

Award Recipients and Categories

Baljeet Kaur and Skalzang Rigzin have been selected in the Land Adventure category, recognising their achievements in one of India's most demanding outdoor disciplines. Rimo Saha will receive the award in the Water Adventure category. Shiv Prasad Chamoli has been chosen for the Lifetime Achievement Award, honouring sustained, long-term contribution to adventure sports in India.

Notably, the 2024 cycle does not include an Air Adventure awardee — the government confers honours across four categories in total, but the selection committee found qualifying recipients in only three this year.

Selection Process and Prize Details

The recipients were identified through a rigorous process led by the National Selection Committee, which examined nominations and conducted the required scrutiny before finalising its recommendations. Each awardee will receive a statuette, a certificate of honour, and prize money of ₹15 lakh.

The selection framework evaluates nominees on the basis of exceptional accomplishments in their respective adventure disciplines, with emphasis on values such as courage, endurance, discipline, calculated risk-taking, teamwork, and effective decision-making under demanding conditions.

Significance of the TNNAA

The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards are among India's highest state honours in the domain of adventure sports and activities. Named after the legendary Sherpa Tenzing Norgay — who, alongside Sir Edmund Hillary, became one of the first two climbers to summit Mount Everest in 1953 — the awards carry deep symbolic weight in India's mountaineering and outdoor adventure community.

The government uses the awards as a platform to encourage broader participation in adventure activities, particularly among young Indians, while reinforcing resilience, cooperative teamwork, and the capacity to perform under pressure.

Dual Ceremony with National Sports Awards 2025

The joint presentation of the TNNAA 2024 and National Sports Awards 2025 at Rashtrapati Bhavan follows an established tradition of recognising sporting and adventure excellence in a single presidential ceremony. The combined event underscores the government's intent to elevate adventure sports to the same platform as mainstream athletic achievement.

As the ceremony date is yet to be confirmed, the spotlight will now shift to the formal announcement and the broader celebration of India's adventure sports culture that the event is expected to generate.