Recognition for Your Unwavering Dedication: Sports Minister Praises National Sports Awards Honorees
Click to start listening
New Delhi, Jan 2 (NationPress) Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, on Thursday expressed his congratulations to the athletes recognized for the National Sports Awards for 2024. The prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award was conferred upon double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, World Chess champion Gukesh D, the Indian men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh, and Praveen Kumar, who secured a gold medal at the Paris Paralympics.
The award ceremony will take place at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17, where the recipients will be honored by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu.
Mandaviya remarked, "This is not merely an award; it represents an appreciation for your relentless hard work and the pride you bring to the nation. I extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to each of you. Continue to make the country proud and contribute significantly to advancing sports in India," as he expressed his sentiments on X regarding the winners of the National Sports Awards 2024.
Additionally, the Sports Minister announced 32 honorees for the Arjuna Award, which is given for commendable performance over the past four years, alongside demonstrating leadership, sportsmanship, and discipline.
The list of Arjuna Award recipients includes Jyothi Yarraji, Annu Rani, Nitu, Saweety, Vantika Agrawal, Salima Tete, Abhishek, Sanjay, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Rakesh Kumar, Preeti Pal, Jeevanji Deepthi, Ajeet Singh, Sachin Sarjerao Khilari, Dharambir, Pranav Soorma, H. Hokato Sema, Simran, Navdeep, Nitesh Kumar, Thulasimathi Murugesan, Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan, Manisha Ramadass, Kapil Parmar, Mona Agarwal, Rubina Francis, Swapnil Suresh Kusale, Sarabjot Singh, Abhay Singh, Sajan Prakash, and Aman Sehrawat.
Former cyclist Sucha Singh and Murlikant Rajaram Petkar, India's first Paralympics gold medallist, were honored with the Arjuna Awards (Lifetime) for their exceptional contributions to sports.
The recipients of the Dronacharya Award 2024 include Subhash Rana (para-shooter), Deepali Deshpande (shooting), and Sandeep Sangwan (hockey).
In the lifetime category, S. Muralidharan (badminton) and Armando Agnelo Colaco (football) were also acknowledged with the Dronacharya Award.
The Physical Education Foundation of India received the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar, while Chandigarh University (overall winner), Lovely Professional University (first runner-up), and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (second runner-up) were honored with the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2024.
