The recommendations were finalised at a selection panel meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday. The panel comprised Indian Olympic Association (IOA) vice-president Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat and former hockey player M M Somaya.
Hardik has been a mainstay in the Indian hockey set-up and was part of the medal-winning squads at the Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Earlier this year, he also featured in India’s gold medal-winning campaign at the Asia Cup.
The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, the country’s highest sporting honour, carries a medallion, a citation and a cash prize of INR 25 lakh. The Arjuna Award, meanwhile, includes a prize money of INR 15 lakh.
Last year, the Khel Ratna was conferred on four athletes: world chess champion D Gukesh, India men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, para-athlete Praveen Kumar and shooter Manu Bhaker.
Meanwhile, in a first, a PTI report revealed that Yogasan athlete Aarti Pal has been recommended for the Arjuna Award. The discipline was recognised by the Sports Ministry only five years ago. Aarti is the reigning national and Asian champion in Yogasan, which will feature as a demonstration sport at the 2026 Asian Games.
The recommendation list for the Arjuna Award also features two chess players – Divya Deshmukh, 19, who became the first Indian woman to win the World Cup, and Vidit Gujrathi. The list also has Tejaswin Shankar, who followed by his historic Asian Games silve in 2023 with a second-place finish in the Asian Championships earlier this year.
Rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh, a two-time World Championship bronze medallist and a consistent podium finisher at the Asian Championships, also features among the recommendations for the Arjuna Award. She is joined by gymnast Pranati Nayak and India’s top-ranked women’s badminton pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.
Gayatri is the daughter of national badminton coach and former All England champion Pullela Gopichand.
Notably, the list does not include any cricketer. Mohammed Shami remains the most recent player from the sport to have received the Arjuna Award, having been honoured in 2023.
National Sports Awards recommendations:
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna: Hardik Singh (Hockey)
Arjuna Awards: Tejaswin Shankar (Athletics), Priyanka (Athletics), Narender (Boxing), Vidit Gujrathi (Chess), Divya Deshmukh (Chess), Dhanush Srikanth (Deaf Shooting), Pranati Nayak (Gymnastics), Rajkumar Pal (Hockey), Surjeet (Kabaddi), Nirmala Bhati (Kho Kho), Rudransh Khandelwal (Para-Shooting), Ekta Bhyan (Para-athletics), Padmanabh Singh (Polo), Arvind Singh (Rowing), Akhil Sheoran (Shooting), Mehuli Ghosh (Shooting), Sutirtha Mukherjee (Table Tennis), Sonam Malik (Wrestling), Aarti (Yoga), Treesa Jolly (Badminton), Gayatri Gopichand (Badminton), Lalremsiami (Hockey), Mohammed Afsal (Athletics), Pooja (Kabaddi).
