President Droupadi Murmu presents Arjuna Awards to star Indian athletes like Tejaswin Shankar, Divya Deshmukh, Vidit GujrathiThe list included 17 winners.
Published: November 13, 2026, 5:13 PM IST
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Arjuna Awards 2026 winners announced (Image – X)
Some of the prominent recipients of the Arjuna Award this year are Tejaswin Shankar (decathlon), Divya Deshmukh and Vidit Gujrathi (chess)President Droupadi Murmu gave away the National Sports Awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan on FridayNo player received the Khel Ratna award this year.
The event lasted for a little over 36 minutesSports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao were also present.
A total of 17 players were selected for the Arjuna AwardTheir names were chosen after the list made by a panel led by former Supreme Court judge Arun Kumar Mishra was checked again.
The last time no Khel Ratna award was given was in 2014.
Chess World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh, Tejaswin Shankar and women’s doubles badminton players Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly were among the 17 winners.
Divya Deshmukh, Vidit Gujrathi, boxer Narender Berwal, who won silver at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and young deaf shooter Dhanush Srikanth were among those who attended the event.
The awards were announced after a long delayThe Sports Ministry checked the names again to make sure that only deserving players got the awards.
20-year-old Divya Deshmukh became the first Indian woman to win the Chess World CupVidit Gujrathi was part of the Indian team that won gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad.
Tejaswin Shankar won silver in decathlon at the 2023 Asian GamesHe also finished second at the Asian Championships last yearHe recently won bronze at the Commonwealth Games despite a knee injuryHe also won bronze at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
Tejaswin was among the players who spoke about the delay in announcing the awardsHe said the delay was not fair to the players.
In 2024, 32 players received the Arjuna AwardIt was the highest number everThe list included 17 para-athletesThis year, only two para-athletes got the award.
Club thrower Ekta Bhyan and shooter Rudransh Khandelwal were also among the winnersEkta won gold at the 2024 Para World ChampionshipsShe also won silver at the World Championships in Delhi last yearRudransh won gold at the 2024 Para World Cup.
No cricketer got the Arjuna Award this yearFast bowler Mohammed Shami was the last cricketer to receive it in 2023.
I Arumainayagam was the only person to get the Arjuna Award for Lifetime AchievementHe was part of India’s football team that won gold at the 1962 Asian Games.
The Sports Ministry also named three winners for the Dronacharya Award.
Boxing coach Chhote Lal Yadav was one of the main names on the listHe has worked with the Indian women’s boxing teamHe was also part of the team that helped former world champion M C Mary Kom.
Dharmendra Yadav, who coaches the Indian men’s boxing team, and wrestling coach Virender Kumar got the Dronacharya Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Each Arjuna Award winner will get Rs 15 lakh.
Last year, four players got the Khel Ratna awardThey were chess world champion D Gukesh, men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, para-athlete Praveen Kumar and shooter Manu Bhaker.
The awards were usually given every year on August 29This day is celebrated as National Sports DayIt is also the birth anniversary of Indian hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
But since 2020, the awards have not been given on the same date every yearIn 2020, the ceremony was held online because of COVID-19 rules.
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.
