Why No Khel Ratna Award for 2025? A Deep Dive into India's Sports Honors

In a surprising move, the Sports Ministry has opted not to award the Khel Ratna for 2025, marking a significant shift in India's sports honors. Alongside this decision, a revised list of 17 Arjuna Award recipients has been unveiled after a lengthy review process. Notable athletes like Tejaswin Shankar and Divya Deshmukh are among those recognized, while the absence of any cricketers continues a concerning trend. This year's awards have faced unprecedented delays, raising questions about the selection process and the treatment of athletes. Read on to explore the implications of these decisions and the full list of awardees.

By Narendra Chaudhary Aug 18, 2026, 17:04 IST

No Khel Ratna Award for 2025

New Delhi: On Tuesday, the Sports Ministry announced that no athlete would receive the prestigious Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award for the year 2025. This decision came alongside a significantly reduced list of 17 Arjuna award recipients, following an extensive review of the selection panel's recommendations made over six months ago.

Hockey player Hardik Singh was initially in the running for the nation's top sporting accolade, as per the selection committee led by former Supreme Court Judge Arun Kumar Mishra, but ultimately did not make the final cut. This marks the first time since 2014 that the Khel Ratna award will not be presented.

Among the 17 athletes honored with the Arjuna Award were World Cup-winning chess player Divya Deshmukh, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, and badminton player Gayatri Gopichand.

The list also included Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, Treesa Jolly (Gayatri's doubles partner), boxer Narender Berwal, and young deaf shooter Dhanush Srikanth.

While the selection committee had initially proposed 24 names for the Arjuna Award, the ministry ultimately approved only 17.

The announcement of the awards faced significant delays, with the ministry initiating a re-evaluation process to ensure that only deserving candidates were recognized, aiming to maintain the awards' integrity.

At just 19, Deshmukh made history as the first Indian woman to win a World Cup. Vidit Gujrathi contributed to India's gold medal victory at the 2024 Chess Olympiad.

Tejaswin Shankar, who secured a historic silver medal in the decathlon at the 2023 Asian Games and followed it with a bronze at the Commonwealth Games despite a knee injury, was among those who criticized the delay in award announcements, deeming it disrespectful to athletes.

In 2024, a record 32 athletes received the Arjuna Award, including 17 from para-sports. This year, however, only two para-athletes made the final list: Ekta Bhyan, who won gold at the 2024 Para World Championships, and shooter Rudransh Khandelwal, a gold medalist at the 2024 Para World Cup.

Ekta also earned a silver medal at last year's world championships held in Delhi.

Notably, the current list does not include any cricketers, a trend that has continued since pacer Mohammed Shami received the honor in 2023.

I Arumainayagam, a member of the gold-winning football team at the 1962 Asian Games, was awarded the Arjuna Award for 'Lifetime Achievement.'

The ministry also announced three Dronacharya awardees, with boxing coach Chhote Lal Yadav, who has been part of the women's national camp and supported legendary M C Mary Kom, being the most notable.

Dharmedra Yadav, who coaches the men's national squad, and wrestling coach Virender Kumar were also recognized for 'Lifetime Achievement' in coaching.

The Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honor, includes a medallion, a citation, and a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, while the Arjuna award comes with a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh.

Last year, the Khel Ratna was awarded to four athletes: world champion chess player D Gukesh, men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, para-athlete Praveen Kumar, and shooter Manu Bhaker.

Traditionally, the awards are presented on August 29 each year to celebrate National Sports Day, coinciding with the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.

However, since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when the ceremony was held virtually, the date has varied. The ceremony has been postponed multiple times to accommodate performances from multi-sport events, with the latest ceremony occurring on January 17 last year.

The announcement of the 2025 awardees, occurring after more than half of 2026 has passed, represents the longest delay since the awards' inception in 1991.

This year's selection committee included notable figures such as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Vice President Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat, and former hockey player M M Somaya.

Arjuna Awards: Tejaswin Shankar (Athletics), Priyanka Goswami (Athletics), Narender (Boxing), Vidit Gujrathi (Chess), Divya Deshmukh (Chess), Dhanush Srikanth (Deaf Shooting), Rajkumar Pal (Hockey), Surjeet (Kabaddi), Rudransh Khandelwal (Para-Shooting), Ekta Bhyan (Para-athletics), Arvind Singh (Rowing), Akhil Sheoran (Shooting), Treesa Jolly (Badminton), Gayatri Gopichand (Badminton), Lalremsiami (Hockey), Muhammed Ajmal (Athletics), Pooja (Kabaddi).

Arjuna Awards (Lifetime): Shri I Arumainayagam (Football)

Dronacharya Award: Parveer Singh, Chhote Lal Yadav, Neha Chavan.

Dronacharya Award (Lifetime): Dharmendra Yadav, Virender Kumar.