President Droupadi Murmu confer the National Sports Awards on India’s top-performing athletes in a regal ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. This awards ceremony, typically held on 29th August, was delay this year due to the Hangzhou Asian Games from 23rd September 2023 to 8th October 2023.
Shuttlers Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy were honor with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award for their outstanding performance in 2023.
This duo secure India’s first badminton gold at the Asian Games, won the Asian Championships, and won the Indonesia Open Super 1000 title.
Both athletes, currently competing in the Malaysia Open Super 1000, were absent from the ceremony.
Cricketer Mohammed Shami, recovering from an ankle injury, receive applause as he walk in to accept the Arjuna award.
Mohammed Shami play a important role in India’s ODI World Cup campaign, claiming 24 wickets in seven games.
Chess Grandmaster R. Vaishali, who became the third Indian woman to achieve the GM title after Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika, receive recognition for her accomplishment.
Esha Singh, the 19-year-old pistol shooting sensation, was notably absent as she competes in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Jakarta.
Esha Singh secure a spot in the Paris Olympics after winning individual and team gold in the 10m air pistol events.
Other Arjuna awardees include wrestler Antim Panghal, boxer Mohammad Hussamuddin, and para archer Sheetal Devi, the first international para-archer without upper limbs.
Chess coach RB Ramesh, known for grooming prodigy R. Praggnanandhaa, was among the notable Dronacharya awardees.
The Khel Ratna, accompanied by a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, and the Arjuna and Dronacharya awards, with a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh, recognize the excellence and contribution of athletes, coaches, and entities to Indian sports.
The ceremony celebrate the achievements of 26 athletes and para-athletes, fostering an atmosphere of gaiety and acknowledgment.
Full List of National Sports Awards 2023 Winners
| AWARD | WINNERS |
| Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2023 | Chirag Shetty (Badminton) Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy (Badminton) |
| Arjuna Awards | Ojas Pravin Deotale (Archery) Aditi Gopichand Swami (Archery) Murali Sreeshankar (Athletics) Parul Chaudhary (Athletics) Mohammad Hussamuddin (Boxing) R Vaishali (Chess) Mohammed Shami (Cricket) Anush Agarwalla (Equestrian) Divyakriti Singh (Equestrian Dressage) Diksha Dagar (Golf) Krishan Bahadur Pathak (Hockey) Sushila Chanu (Hockey) Pawan Kumar (Kabaddi) Ritu Negi (Kabaddi) Nasreen (Kho-Kho) Pinki (Lawn Bowls) Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (Shooting) Esha Singh (Shooting) Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (Squash) Ayhika Mukherjee (Table Tennis) Sunil Kumar (Wrestling) Antim Panghal (Wrestling) Naorem Roshibina Devi (Wushu) Sheetal Devi (Para Archery) Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy (Blind Cricket) Prachi Yadav (Para Canoeing). |
| 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 (life-time 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). |
