Government Committed to Taking Chhattisgarh’s Sporting Talent to National and International Platforms: Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai
Chief Minister Presents State Sports Awards to 126 Players and Coaches on National Sports डे
Raipur, August 29, 2026/ Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai honoured Chhattisgarh’s sporting talent at the State Sports Awards Ceremony held at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium in Raipur on National Sports Day, observed on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
Chief Minister Shri Sai presented State Sports Awards to 126 outstanding players and coaches for the years 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26. Cash incentives were also provided to 540 other players. Altogether, 666 players and coaches received awards and incentives amounting to Rs 1.74 crore.
Congratulating the sportspersons, the Chief Minister said their discipline, hard work and perseverance bring pride not only to themselves but also to Chhattisgarh and the nation. He said players from the state are increasingly proving their capabilities at national and international levels, and the government is committed to ensuring that lack of resources or opportunities does not hold back deserving talent.
Government Service Opportunities for Outstanding Sportspersons
Chief Minister Shri Sai said the State Government is taking concrete steps to secure the future of outstanding players. A list of 156 sportspersons has recently been released, paving the way for their appointment in government services.
He said that providing career security alongside recognition, training, and competition opportunities would encourage more young people to pursue sports professionally.
Bastar and Surguja Emerging as Major Platforms for Talent
Highlighting the immense sporting potential of tribal and remote regions, the Chief Minister said the Bastar Olympics have emerged as a major platform for identifying and nurturing local talent. Participation increased from 1.65 lakh youth in the first edition to 3.91 lakh in the second, reflecting both growing enthusiasm for sports and the positive transformation taking place in Bastar.
He said the Surguja Olympics have also provided opportunities for local youth, while Chhattisgarh’s successful hosting of the Khelo India Tribal Games has further strengthened the state’s sporting environment.
Mukhyamantri Khel Utkarsh Mission to Strengthen Sports Ecosystem
Chief Minister Shri Sai said the State Government is working on Mukhyamantri Khel Utkarsh Mission to take sports to new heights, for which a budget provision of Rs 100 crore has been made.
He said the focus is on creating a comprehensive ecosystem that covers talent identification, professional training, modern equipment, quality infrastructure, and opportunities to compete at higher levels.
Sports Infrastructure Being Expanded Across the State
The Chief Minister said modern sports infrastructure is being rapidly developed across Chhattisgarh, including sports complexes in Kunkuri, Raigarh, and Raipur.
An academy is being constructed in Nava Raipur at a cost of nearly Rs 67 crore to provide world-class training facilities to archers. An archery academy at Pandrapat, being developed at a cost of nearly Rs 18 crore, will particularly help nurture the natural archery talent of the Pahadi Korwa community.
He said youth in tribal regions possess immense natural sporting ability and, with systematic training and proper opportunities, can emerge as national and international-level athletes.
Deputy Chief Minister and Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Shri Arun Sao said Chhattisgarh has no shortage of sporting talent and the government is continuously working to identify and nurture it. He cited the selection of Geeta Yadav and Madhu Sidar of Bilaspur Sports Academy for the Indian team for the Asia Cup as a matter of pride for the state.
Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Tokhan Sahu, said that initiatives under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi have created a positive sporting environment across the country. MP Shri Brijmohan Agrawal expressed confidence that Chhattisgarh’s players would earn greater recognition at the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and Asian Games.
Outstanding Players and Coaches Honoured
At the ceremony, players and coaches were honoured under the Shaheed Rajiv Pandey Award, Shaheed Kaushal Yadav Award, Veer Hanuman Singh Award, Shaheed Pankaj Vikram Samman, Shaheed Vinod Choubey Samman and Chief Minister Trophy.
Year 2023-24
Shaheed Rajiv Pandey Award: Ms Monika Sahu (Fencing), Shri Subhash Lahre (Weightlifting), Shri Anup Yadu (Netball), Shri Rajesh Rathore (Netball), Shri Bhupendra Kumar Gadhe (Softball) and Shri Parmanand (Para Swimming).
Shaheed Kaushal Yadav Award: Ms Dipanshi Netam (Fencing), Shri Mahendra Dhurve (Volleyball), Shri Amit Kumar (Athletics) and Shri Rakesh Kadti (Softball).
Veer Hanuman Singh Award: Shri Vikas Dhidhi (Para Judo).
Shaheed Pankaj Vikram Samman: Ms Sita Sahu (Para Wheelchair Fencing), Shri Karan Bharti (Wushu), Ms Priyanka Thakur (Wushu), Shri Shashank Masih (Rifle Shooting), Shri Rajiv Sahu (Table Tennis), Ms Kajal (Table Tennis), Ms Bhumika Upadhyay (Hockey) and Ajinkya Singh (Swimming).
Shaheed Vinod Choubey Samman: Shri Pravesh Chadha (Shooting), Shri Vijay Bahadur (Handball), Shri Laxman Lal Sahu (Wrestling), Shri K. Ravi Shankar (Table Tennis) and Shri Giriraj Bagri (Table Tennis).
Chief Minister Trophy: Bilaspur Para Wheelchair Fencing Team in the Senior Category.
Year 2024-25
Shaheed Rajiv Pandey Award: Ms Gyaneshwari Yadav (Weightlifting), Shri Ishan Bhatnagar (Badminton), Shri Divyanshu Netam (Fencing), Ms Bhoomi Gupta (Swimming), Ms Sonam Sharma (Netball), Shri Kalaram Patel (Para Athletics) and Lomendra Sahu.
Shaheed Kaushal Yadav Award: Shri Manas Bhattacharya (Badminton) and Shri Sukhdev (Para Athletics).
Veer Hanuman Singh Award: Shri Ashok Kumar Sahu (Kayaking and Canoeing).
Shaheed Pankaj Vikram Samman: Ms. Suman Yadav (Football), Shri Rohit Rajak (Hockey), Ms. Geetanjali Nirmalkar (Hockey), Shri K.S. Sai Prashant (Table Tennis), Ms. Sushmita Som (Table Tennis), Shri Ramkrishna Sahu (Para Swimming), Swati Sahu (Para Wheelchair Fencing), Shri Saket Samuel (Rifle Shooting), Shri Aman Tiwari (Wushu) and Ms. Mansi Dumbre (Wushu).
Shaheed Vinod Choubey Samman: Smt. Prabha Hussain (Athletics), Smt. Sangeeta Rajagopalan (Badminton), Shri Gama Yadav (Wrestling) and Shri Pranay Nand Mazumdar (Table Tennis).
Chief Minister Trophy: Bilaspur Archery Team in the Senior Women’s Category.
Year 2025-26
Shaheed Rajiv Pandey Award: Vikas Kumar (Archery), Kiran Pisda (Football), Dipanshi Netam (Fencing), Sujay Tamboli (Badminton), Ayush Makhija (Badminton), Sanju Devi (Kabaddi), Reema Rai (Soft Tennis), Misha Kumari (Netball) and Lucky Yadav (Para Athletics).
Shaheed Kaushal Yadav Award: Divyanshu Dewangan (Shooting), Vikram Raj (Archery), Divyansh Agrawal (Badminton), Sonika Rajwade (Athletics), Swapnil Pradhan (Wushu), Bhumika Choudhary (Netball), Pooja (Netball) and Nikhil Kumar Yadav (Para Athletics).
Veer Hanuman Singh Award: Ajay Deep Sarang (Weightlifting).
Shaheed Pankaj Vikram Samman: Sanskar Diwan (Wushu), Vidya Singh (Wushu), Ankush Singh (Kho-Kho), Jhamita Sahu (Kho-Kho), Hemshikhar (Volleyball), Arandim Debnath (Table Tennis), Sneha Niyogi (Judo), Anmol Singh (Judo), Yash Kerketta (Boxing), Tukesh Sahu (Gymnastics), Semeshwar Singh (Para Swimming), Shrikant Pandey (Para Judo) and Khushal Yadav (Hockey).
Shaheed Vinod Choubey Samman: Gangeshwar (Athletics), Khwaja Ahmed (Volleyball), Evan Kumar Jain (Weightlifting), Mohd. Akram Khan (Volleyball) and Pradeep Joshi (Table Tennis).
Chief Minister Trophy: Senior Women’s Archery Team and Junior Girls’ Soft Tennis Team.
Culture Minister Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Technical Education Minister Guru Khushwant Saheb, MP Shri Vijay Baghel, MLA Shri Purandar Mishra, MLA Shri Motilal Sahu and MLA Shri Sunil Soni, along with representatives of sports bodies, players and coaches, were present at the ceremony.
