PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Haldwani
On the occasion of the National Sports Day, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami felicitated athletes and coaches who excelled at the national and international levels at a programme held at the stadium in Gaula Par here on Saturday. Cash prizes, certificates, blazers and shawls were presented to athletes who brought glory to the state in various sports categories. While encouraging the players and coaches, Dhami highlighted the efforts being made by his government to promote sports talent in the state.
While Ankita received the Devbhoomi Uttarakhand Khel Ratna Award in athletics for the year 2024, Lokesh Chaudhary, also in athletics, received the Dronacharya Award.
In 2025, Abhinav Deswal was awarded the Khel Ratna Award in shooting, Mukesh Sharma was awarded the Dronacharya Award in kayaking and canoeing and Mukesh Chandra Belwal was awarded the Life Time Achievement Award in boxing. In the disabled category, Shaurya Saini of shooting was awarded the Himalaya Ratna Award. Saksham Pratap Singh and Mamta Khati in the team category of modern pentathlon and Khushi Chand in the individual category of boxing were awarded the Himalaya Khel Ratna Award.
Cash prizes were also given to the players who performed well in international and national competitions. The recipients included Ankita of athletics, Khushi Chand of boxing, Manisha Chauhan of hockey, Rafiq Ahmed of volleyball, Bhumika and Rahul Singh of kabaddi, Chirag Baretha, Manoj Sarkar and Mandeep Kaur of badminton, Saksham Pratap Singh of modern pentathlon, Shefali Rawat of blind football, Nilima Rai of paralawn balls and Aryavansh Tyagi and Bhoomi of shooting.
This aside, coaches were also awarded. They included athletics coach Lokesh Kumar, boxing coach Bijendra Mall, shooting coach Amit, volleyball coach Girish Kumar and kabaddi coach Nitin Kumar.
Among the dignitaries who addressed the programme were the Sports minister Rekha Arya, MP Ajay Bhatt and Lalkuan MLA Mohan Singh Bisht. The Urban Development minister Ram Singh Kaira was among those present on the occasion.
