2023 Sports Awards Announcement: Satwik-Chirag Jodi to Receive Dhyanchand Khel Ratna, Shami to be Honored with Arjuna Award
The National Sports Awards for 2023 were announced by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on Wednesday. Badminton players Satwik and Chirag received the Khel Ratna award. Cricketer Mohammad Shami got the Arjuna Award, and 25 more people also won the Arjuna Award. The athletes will receive the awards from President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 9.
The Indian government declared the National Sports Awards for 2023. Two badminton players, Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Chandrasekhar Shetty, got the Khel Ratna Award, the top sports honor in the country. This time, they announced the Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award. A total of 26 people, including cricketer Mohammed Shami and para archer Sheetal Devi, were chosen for the Arjuna Award. Telugu talents also shone, with blind cricket captain Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy from Andhra Pradesh and boxer Mohammad Husamuddin from Nizamabad, Telangana, making the list. They will receive the awards from President Draupadi Murmu. Satwik and Chirag’s badminton victory at the Asian Games and Shami’s outstanding bowling in the 2023 ODI World Cup contributed to their recognition.
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2023)
- Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (badminton).
Arjuna Award (2023): Full Roster of 26 Awardees Revealed
- Archery: Ojas Praveen Devtale, Aditi Gopichand Swamy
- Athletics: Srishankar M, Parul Chaudhary
- Boxing: Mohammad Husamuddin
- Chess: R Vaishali
- Cricket: Mohammed Shami
- Equestrian: Anush Aggarwala
- Equestrian Dressage: Divyakriti Singh
- Golf: Deeksha Dagar
- Hockey: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Pukhrambam Sushila Chanu
- Kabaddi: Pawan Kumar, Ritu Negi
- Kho-Kho: Nasreen
- Lawn Bowls: Pinky
- Shooting: Aishwari Pratap Singh Tomar, Esha Singh
- Squash: Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu
- Table Tennis: Ahika Mukherjee
- Wrestling: Sunil Kumar, Antim
- Wushu: Naurem Roshibina Devi
- Para Archery: Sheetal Devi
- Blind Cricket: Ajay Kumar Reddy
- Para Canoeing: Prachi Yadav
Dronacharya Award (regular category) for Outstanding Coaches
- Lalit Kumar (wrestling)
- RB Ramesh (chess)
- Mahaveer Prasad Saini (para athletics)
- Shivendra Singh (hockey)
- Ganesh Prabhakar Devrukhkar (mallakhamb)
Dronacharya Award (lifetime category) for Outstanding Coaches
- Jaskirat Singh Grewal (golf)
- Bhaskaran E (kabaddi)
- Jayanta Kumar Pushilal (table tennis)
Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement
- Manjusha Kanwar (badminton)
- Vineet Kumar Sharma (hockey)
- Kavitha Selvaraj (kabaddi)
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2023
- Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (overall winner university)
- Lovely Professional University, Punjab (1st runner-up)
- Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra (2nd runner-up)
Why did Satwik and Chirag receive the Khel Ratna Award?
Chirag and Satwik had a great 2023. They won the first-ever Asian Games gold medal in badminton for India, along with the Asian Championships and the Indonesia Open Super 1000 title. They also won bronze at the World Championships and a gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Why did Mohammed Shami receive the Arjuna Award?
Mohammed Shami is set to receive the Arjuna Award, the second-highest honor in sports, for his outstanding performance in cricket. Shami, a star pacer for India, showcased remarkable skills in the ICC One Day World Cup 2023, taking 24 wickets in seven innings. He’s the only cricketer among the 26 athletes receiving the award. Shami’s impactful bowling, including a historic achievement of taking five or more wickets twice in the tournament, strengthened Team India’s performance. In the semifinal against New Zealand, he took seven wickets, leading to the opposing team’s batting collapse. The 33-year-old from Uttar Pradesh has excelled in both ODI and red-ball cricket, playing a vital role in India’s top standing across ICC rankings in three formats this year.
