Pioneering decathlete Tejaswin Shankar criticized the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for the unprecedented delay in announcing the National Sports Awards. According to the Press Trust of India, the government is conducting a new round of scrutiny to weed out unworthy winners, leaving dozens of elite athletes in limbo.
Despite the official selection committee submitting its final recommendations nearly four months ago, in December, the ministry has put the process on hold. The move has drawn considerable criticism from athletes who believe the reassessment undermines the committee’s authority and places undue pressure on those who have already met the strict criteria.
“This should have been thought of ‘before’ before the unofficial recommended names came out in December. Not 4 months ‘after’. This delay is not only demotivating for athletes and coaches, but also a sign of disrespect,” said Tejaswin Shankar in a post on X.
Ministry sources defended the delay, saying a re-evaluation was necessary to maintain the prestige of the award.
“The recommendation list for Arjuna awards is being reviewed. The value of these awards should not be reduced, that is the aim. It should not happen that we have Arjuna awardees in every nook and corner, but when you ask them about their achievements, there is nothing to show,” a ministry source was quoted as saying by PTI.
He is allegedly the hockey star Hardik Singh the only candidate for the Khel Ratna, the highest sporting honour. The Arjuna Award shortlist includes 24 athletes, including teenage chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh, Tejaswin and Aarti Pal, the first ever yoga athlete nominated since the discipline was formally recognized. Screengrab by X
The ministry also highlighted its intention to move away from subjective panels to a strict, point-based automated system.
“It’s like prize money – if you’ve won an Olympic medal, you shouldn’t have to fill the form to get the Rs 75 crore reward. The system just knows and will transfer the money appropriately. Similarly, an athlete who has qualified should not be re-evaluated by the jury,” the official added.
Officials cited numerous legal battles and public disputes that had previously marred the awards ceremony. By tightening the criteria, the ministry wants to prevent lawsuits and media statements that follow from athletes who feel unfairly excluded.
The awards are traditionally presented by the President of India on August 29, the National Sports Day, which honors hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
However, this timeline has broken in recent years due to major international events and administrative changes.
At present, the ministry has not confirmed the date of the ceremony, so the best national artists are uncertain whether their names will survive the final rigorous selection.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
14 Apr 2026 10:13 IST
