The Sports Ministry has officially endorsed the nominations for the annual sports awards, confirming that badminton players Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will receive the prestigious Khel Ratna honour, while 26 sports persons, including pacer Mohammed Shami, are set to receive the Arjuna award. 

The awards ceremony, where President Droupadi Murmu will confer the honours, is scheduled to take place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 9th January.

Chirag and Satwik, recognised as Asian Games gold medallists, World Championships bronze winners, and Commonwealth Games silver medallists, will be honoured with the Khel Ratna.

In addition, Mohammed Shami, who played a crucial role in India's ODI World Cup campaign, finishing as the leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets, will be among the recipients of the Arjuna award.

The list of Arjuna awardees for 2023 includes athletes from various disciplines such as hockey, archery, boxing, chess, cricket, equestrian, golf, shooting, wrestling, table tennis, and more.

Furthermore, the ministry approved five coaches for the Dronacharya award in the regular category and three in the life-time category. Additionally, three individuals will be honoured with the Dhyan Chand award in the life-time category.

Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, secured the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2023, while Lovely Professional University, Punjab, and Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, were recognised as the first and second runners-up.