President of India Droupadi Murmu will award Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2022 to table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal at a specially organised function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on November 30.
The country’s highest sporting honour, Khel Ratna, and other National Sports Awards, including the Arjuna Award, are given out by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports annually. This year, Kamal, the Commonwealth Games 2022 table tennis champion, will be the only recipient of the Khel Ratna. The Arjuna Awards will be given to 25 sportspersons. The winners include shuttlers Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy, boxers Nikhat Zareen and Amit Panghal, triple jumper Eldhose Paul, steeplechaser Avinash Sable, and chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa.
The Dronacharya Award, which honours notable coaches, will go to cricket coach Dinesh Lad in the lifetime category, and wrestling coach Sujit Mann, boxing coach Mohammad Ali Qamar, archery coach Jiwanjot Singh Teja, and rifle coach Suma Shirur (para shooting) in the regular category.
Awards will also be given in the three other categories of the National Sports Awards, Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy.
