National Sports Awards 2022

Smt. Droupadi Murmu presented the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2022 (Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awards-2022, Dronacharya Awards-2022, Arjuna Awards-2022, Dhyan Chand Awards-2022, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar-2022, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy-2022, and Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards-2021) at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

This year, a total of 44 Awards have been presented in the National Sports and Adventure Awards, 2022. Most of the athletes who have received the awards have been supported by the Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs; and Sports Authority of India, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, and the Khelo India Scheme for many months. Legendary Table Tennis player Sharath Kamal is the sole recipient of the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award this year. Sharath has been a part of the TOP scheme since December 2018 and has imparted the best infrastructural and equipment training. This year 25 athletes across the Olympic sports, Paralympic sports, and Deaflympics sports have received the Arjuna Awards. The Government of India’s flagship Khelo India Scheme has also played a crucial role in giving exposure to these talented youngsters from scratch to the elite level. Other awards given out in the evening include the Dronacharya Award, Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games, the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad trophy as well as the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2022

Shri. Sharath Kamal Achanta is one of the most outstanding Table Tennis players of the country. His achievements are:

• Three Gold Medals (individual, Mix Doubles & Team) and one Silver Medal (Mix Doubles) in Commonwealth Games, 2022
• Two Bronze Medals (Mix Doubles & Team) in Asian Games, 2018.
• One Gold Medal (Team), one Silver medal (Mix Doubles), and one Bronze Medal (individual) in Commonwealth Games, 2018.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the sport of Table Tennis, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for the year 2022 is conferred upon Shri. Sharath Kamal Achanta.

Dronacharya Award, 2022

Shri. Dinesh Jawahar Lad is a Cricket coach. He has trained many outstanding Cricket players who have won medals in National/ International competitions. Prominent among them are Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Harmeet Singh Badhan, and Siddhesh Lad. In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of coaching, the Dronacharya Award (Life Time) for the year 2022 is being conferred upon Shri. Dinesh Jawahar Lad.

Shri. Bimal Prafulla Ghosh is a Football coach. He has trained many outstanding Football players who have won medals in National and international competitions. Prominent among them are Khalid Jameel, Steven Dias, Bikash Jairu, Raju Gaikwad, and Bungo Thomchok Singh. In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of coaching, the Dronacharya Award(Life Time) for the year 2022 is being conferred upon Shri. Bimal Prafulla Ghosh.

Shri. Raj Singh is a Wrestling Coach. He has trained many outstanding Wrestling players who have participated and won in National/international competitions. Prominent among them are Ashok Kumar, Ombir, Yogeshwar Dutt, Sanjay, Dinesh, Gyanender, Narender, Parveen, Yudhvir, Suresh, Monu, Amit, Pawan, and Pardeep. In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of coaching, the Dronacharya Award (Life Time) for the year 2022 is being conferred upon Shri. Raj Singh.

Shri. Jiwanjot Singh Teja is an Archery coach. He has trained many outstanding Archery players who have won medals in National/international competitions. Prominent among them are Harvinder Singh, V. Jyothi Surekha, Raj Kaur, Rajat Chouhan, Aman Saini, Abhishek Verma, Madhumita Kumari, and Muskan Kirar. In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of coaching, the Dronacharya Award for the year 2022 is being conferred upon Shri. Jiwanjot Singh Teja.

Shri. Mohammad Ali Qamar is a National Boxing Coach. He has trained many outstanding Boxing players who have participated and won in National/international competitions. Prominent among them are Lovlina Borgohain, Manju, Jamuna Boro, Sonia, Simranjit Kaur Baatth, and Pooja Rani. In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of coaching, the Dronacharya Award for the year 2022 is being conferred upon Shri. Mohammad Ali Qamar.

Ms. Suma Siddharth Shirur is a Para Shooting Coach. She has trained many outstanding Shootingplayers who have participated and won in National/international competitions. Prominent among them are Avani Lekhara, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Shahu Tushar Mane, Ashi Chouksey, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kiran Ankush Jadhav, Prasiddhi Mahant, Abhinav Shaw, Zeena Kittha, Atmika Gupta and Aakriti Dahiya.In recognition of her outstanding achievements in the field of coaching, the Dronacharya Award for the year 2022 is being conferred upon Ms. Suma Siddharth Shirur.

Shri. Sujeet Maan is a Wrestling Coach. He has trained many outstanding Wrestling players who have participated and won in National/international competitions. Prominent among them is Bajrang Punia. In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of coaching, the Dronacharya Award for the year 2022 is being conferred upon Shri. Sujeet Maan.

Arjuna Award 2022

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, 2021

Ms. Naina Dhakad hails from Bastar District of Chhattisgarh. She is the first Indian woman to climb Mt. Everest and Mt. Lhotse within a period of fewer than 10 days. She has also climbed Mt. Angduri, Mt. Cathedral, Mt. Jaldi, etc. In recognition of her outstanding achievement and contribution to the field of adventure, Ms. Naina Dhakad is presented with the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, 2021 for Land Adventure.

Sh. Shubham Dhananjay Vanmali hails from Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. He swam from Mandwa Jetty to Elephanta, a distance of 21 km within 05 hrs. 4 min 05 sec, from Gateway of India to Dahanu Beach, a distance of 147 km within 28 hrs. 40 min and from Governor House to Gateway of India, a distance of 14 km within 03 hrs. 13 min 10 sec. He is the recipient of Shivchhatrapati Rajya Sahasi Puruskar 2018-19 from the Government of Maharashtra.

Group Captain Kunwar Bhawani Singh Samyal hails from Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir. He is an accomplished skydiver. He has won Indian Air Force Open Skydiving Accuracy Championship. He is the first Indian to base jump from the New River George Bridge in West Virginia, USA and from the Kuala Lumpur Tower, Malaysia. He is a qualified parachute jump instructor and free fall instructor and has over 1655 jumps to his credit from 10 different aircrafts and 21 different parachutes. He has led the Akashganga skydiving team in various awareness campaigns and demonstrations.

Dhyan Chand Award 2022

Shri. Nir Bahadur Gurung has been one of the most outstanding Para Athletics players in the country. He won Gold Medal (Discuss) in FESPIC Games 2006. He has also won Silver Medal (Javelin), Bronze Medal (Shotput), and Silver medal (Discus)in FESPIC Games, in 2002