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New Delhi: India men’s hockey team vice-captain Hardik Singh has emerged as the sole recommendation for this year’s Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, the country’s highest sporting honour, while a diverse group of 24 athletes—including teenage chess sensation Divya Deshmukh and trailblazing decathlete Tejaswin Shankar—have been picked for the Arjuna Awards, sources said on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old Hardik has been India’s midfield linchpin, playing a key role in the medal-winning campaigns at the Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He also featured prominently in India’s Asia Cup gold-winning team this year, reinforcing his credentials for the Khel Ratna.

In a notable first, Aarti Pal has been recommended for the Arjuna Award, marking the maiden recognition of a Yogasan athlete since the discipline received formal recognition from the Sports Ministry five years ago. Aarti is the reigning national and Asian champion in Yogasan, which is slated to be a demonstration sport at the 2026 Asian Games.

The awards selection panel finalised the recommendations after a meeting on Wednesday. The panel included Indian Olympic Association Vice-President Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat, and former hockey international MM Somaya, among others.

Among the Arjuna awardees, Divya Deshmukh (19) made history earlier this year by becoming the first Indian woman to win the Chess World Cup. Fellow grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi has also been recommended. Tejaswin Shankar, meanwhile, followed up his historic Asian Games silver (2023) with a runner-up finish at the Asian Championships this year.

Other prominent names recommended for the Arjuna include rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh, a two-time World Championship bronze medallist; gymnast Pranati Nayak; and India’s top women’s badminton doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand—the latter being the daughter of national coach and former All England champion Pullela Gopichand. Notably, no cricketer features on this year’s list. Fast bowler Mohammed Shami was the last from the sport to receive the Arjuna Award in 2023.

The Khel Ratna carries a medallion, a citation, and a cash award of ₹25 lakh, while the Arjuna Award includes a cash award of ₹15 lakh. Last year’s Khel Ratna recipients were D Gukesh, Harmanpreet Singh, Praveen Kumar and Manu Bhaker.

National Sports Awards 2025 – 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 (Yogasan), Treesa Jolly (Badminton), Gayatri Gopichand (Badminton), Lalremsiami (Hockey), Mohammed Afsal (Athletics), Pooja (Kabaddi).