The Arjuna Award 2025 is one of the most important sports-related current affairs topics for competitive examinations in 2026. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced the National Sports Awards 2025 on 18 August 2026, recognising outstanding performances by Indian sportspersons and coaches. The announcement included 17 regular Arjuna Award recipients, along with a separate Arjuna Award for Lifetime Achievement.
The Arjuna Award is presented to sportspersons who have demonstrated outstanding performance and excellence in sports. It is regarded as one of India’s major national sports honours and is awarded annually by the Government of India.
What is the Arjuna Award?
The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961 to honour Indian sportspersons who achieve excellence in their respective disciplines. The award is named after Arjuna, one of the great warriors and archers of the Mahabharata, whose qualities of concentration, discipline and determination represent the values associated with sporting excellence.
Over the years, athletes from athletics, badminton, boxing, chess, hockey, shooting, wrestling and many other disciplines have received the award.
The Arjuna Award is particularly important because it recognises sustained sporting performance and contribution to Indian sports rather than a single isolated achievement.
Arjuna Award 2025 Winners
The National Sports Awards 2025 announcement recognised 17 sportspersons with the regular Arjuna Award. Among the prominent names associated with the final award list are Tejaswin Shankar, Vidit Gujrathi, Divya Deshmukh, Gayatri Gopichand, Treesa Jolly, Lalremsiami and Dhanush Srikanth.
The awards cover a wide range of sporting disciplines, highlighting the growing diversity of Indian sports.
Some of the most notable awardees include:
Tejaswin Shankar – Athletics
Tejaswin Shankar is one of India’s prominent track-and-field athletes. He has represented India in high jump and combined events and has also made his mark in decathlon. His international performances have made him one of the notable names in Indian athletics.
His inclusion among the Arjuna Award recipients is significant for India’s athletics community.
Vidit Gujrathi – Chess
Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi is one of India’s leading chess players. His recognition with the Arjuna Award highlights the growing importance of chess in India’s sporting landscape.
Chess has produced several major Indian champions in recent years, and Vidit’s recognition adds another important chapter to India’s chess success story. FIDE also confirmed that Vidit was among the 2025 Arjuna Award honourees.
Divya Deshmukh – Chess
Divya Deshmukh is another major name in the 2025 Arjuna Award list. She became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup in 2025, a landmark achievement in Indian chess. Her Arjuna Award recognition is therefore especially significant for young athletes and women in Indian sports.
Divya’s success represents the rapid emergence of a new generation of Indian chess players.
Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly – Badminton
Indian badminton players Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly have been recognised for their performances in women’s doubles.
Their inclusion reflects India’s continued strength in badminton. The pair has established itself as an important combination in Indian women’s doubles and has represented the country at major international competitions.
Lalremsiami – Hockey
Lalremsiami is another important name among the 2025 Arjuna Award recipients. The Indian women’s hockey player has represented India at the highest international level.
Her recognition is particularly significant because she became the first sportsperson from Mizoram to receive the Arjuna Award, marking an important milestone for the northeastern state.
Dhanush Srikanth – Shooting
Dhanush Srikanth has been recognised for his achievements in shooting. His inclusion demonstrates that the National Sports Awards also acknowledge excellence in deaf sports and athletes competing at international level.
His achievement is an encouraging example of India’s growing representation in para and deaf sports.
Why is the Arjuna Award 2025 Important?
The 2025 National Sports Awards are particularly notable because the final list was significantly different from the larger list recommended by the selection committee in December 2025.
The selection committee had initially recommended 24 names for the Arjuna Award, including athletes such as Priyanka, Mohammed Afsal, Narender, Pranati Nayak, Rajkumar Pal, Surjeet, Nirmala Bhati, Rudransh Khandelwal, Ekta Bhyan, Padmanabh Singh, Arvind Singh, Akhil Sheoran, Mehuli Ghosh, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Sonam Malik, Aarti Pal, Treesa Jolly, Gayatri Gopichand and Lalremsiami.
However, the final government announcement selected 17 regular Arjuna Award recipients, making the final list an important current-affairs development.
No Khel Ratna Award for 2025
Another major point related to the National Sports Awards 2025 is that no sportsperson was selected for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2025.
This was a notable decision because the Khel Ratna is India’s highest sporting honour. Hockey player Hardik Singh had earlier been recommended as the sole candidate by the selection committee, but he did not receive the final Khel Ratna selection.
Reports noted that this was the first time since 2014 that no Khel Ratna was awarded for a particular year.
Arjuna Award 2025 and Competitive Exams
The Arjuna Award is an important topic for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, Defence, State PCS, CUET and other competitive examinations.
Students should remember the following facts:
- Award: Arjuna Award
- Year: 2025
- Announcement: 18 August 2026
- Regular Arjuna Award recipients: 17
- Arjuna Award Lifetime Achievement: 1 recipient
- Khel Ratna recipients for 2025: None
- Major organisation involved: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
- Important awardees: Tejaswin Shankar, Vidit Gujrathi, Divya Deshmukh, Gayatri Gopichand, Treesa Jolly, Lalremsiami and Dhanush Srikanth
- Important current-affairs category: Sports Current Affairs 2026
Arjuna Award 2025: Important Questions and Answers
Q1. Who announces the National Sports Awards in India?
The National Sports Awards are announced by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
Q2. How many sportspersons received the regular Arjuna Award for 2025?
17 sportspersons were selected for the regular Arjuna Award.
Q3. Which chess players were among the prominent Arjuna Award 2025 recipients?
Vidit Gujrathi and Divya Deshmukh were among the prominent chess players recognised.
Q4. Which badminton players were recognised?
Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly were among the recognised badminton players.
Q5. Who became the first sportsperson from Mizoram to receive the Arjuna Award?
Lalremsiami achieved this milestone.
Q6. Was the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awarded for 2025?
No. No sportsperson was selected for the Khel Ratna for 2025.
Conclusion
The Arjuna Award 2025 Winners are an important part of India’s latest sports current affairs. The recognition of athletes from disciplines such as athletics, chess, badminton, hockey, shooting and other sports demonstrates the increasingly diverse nature of Indian sporting excellence.
The recognition of young stars such as Divya Deshmukh, leading chess player Vidit Gujrathi, athlete Tejaswin Shankar, badminton players Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, and hockey player Lalremsiami provides inspiration to the next generation of Indian athletes.