Raipur. Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai honored the sports talents of the state in the State Sports Awards ceremony organized at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium in the capital Raipur today on the occasion of the birth anniversary of hockey wizard Major Dhyanchand and National Sports Day. Chief Minister Sai presented State Sports Awards to 126 outstanding players and coaches for the years 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26. Along with the players and coaches who received State Sports Awards, 540 other players were also given cash incentives in the ceremony. Thus, a total of 666 players and coaches were given prizes and incentives worth Rs 1 crore 74 lakh 19 thousand.

Chief Minister Sai honored the players at the ceremony and wished them a bright future. He said that an athlete's hard work, discipline, and struggle on the field are not limited to their individual achievements; rather, their success enhances the pride of the entire state and country. Chhattisgarh's athletes are consistently demonstrating their talent on national and international platforms. The state government is striving to ensure that talented athletes do not have to lag behind due to lack of resources and opportunities.

Deputy Chief Minister and Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Arun Saw, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, Culture Minister Rajesh Agarwal, Technical Education Minister Guru Khushwant Saheb, MPs Brijmohan Agarwal and Vijay Baghel attended the function as special guests.

*Government service opportunities for outstanding athletes*
Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, addressing the ceremony, said that over the past three years, athletes who have excelled in national and international competitions have been honored with the State Sports Decoration. The state government is also taking continuous steps to secure and improve the future of athletes.

He informed that a list of 156 outstanding athletes from the state has recently been released, opening the way for them to be appointed to government service. He added that the government's priority is to honor and encourage athletes, as well as to secure their future. This will further strengthen the state's youth's confidence in pursuing sports as a career.

*Bastar's sports talent gets a big platform*
Chief Minister Sai said that there is no shortage of sports talent in the remote and tribal areas of Chhattisgarh. The need is to identify them, provide opportunities, and provide proper training. To this end, the state government has been organizing the Bastar Olympics for the past two years. He said that 165,000 youth participated in the first Bastar Olympics. In the second year, this number increased to 391,000. The arrival of such a large number of youth to the sports field is a testament to the positive changes taking place in Bastar and the growing self-confidence of the youth.

The Chief Minister said that the Surguja Olympics also provided an opportunity for local talent to emerge. Chhattisgarh also successfully hosted the Khelo India Tribal Games. Through these events, the state government is scouting for talent and providing them with a better environment for training and competition.

*Preparations to elevate sports to new heights through five missions*
Chief Minister Sai said that the state government is working on five missions to promote sports and athletes in Chhattisgarh. These include the Chief Minister's Sports Excellence Mission. A budget of ₹100 crore has been allocated for this.

He said that the government's goal is not just to organize competitions, but to develop a comprehensive system, from identifying talent to providing training, modern resources, improved sports infrastructure, and opportunities to reach major platforms. This will enable Chhattisgarh's athletes to better prepare for national and international competitions.

*Sports infrastructure being strengthened in the state*
The Chief Minister said that modern sports infrastructure is being rapidly developed in the state to promote sporting talent. Sports complexes are being developed in Kunkuri, Raigarh, and Raipur.

He informed that an academy is being constructed in Nava Raipur at a cost of approximately 67 crore rupees to provide world-class training facilities to archery players. Similarly, an archery academy is being developed in Pandarapat at a cost of approximately 18 crore rupees to hone the natural archery talent of the hill Korwa community.

The Chief Minister said that there are many youth in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh who have a natural talent for sports. By providing them with modern training and a proper platform, they can be developed into national and international level players.

*There is no shortage of sports talent in Chhattisgarh: Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao*
Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Chief Minister and Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Arun Sao said that Chhattisgarh's geographical diversity is conducive to various sports. There is no shortage of sports talent in the state; the need is to identify these talents, nurture them, and provide them with adequate opportunities to advance.

He said that the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, is continuously working in this direction. Initiatives like Khelo India by the central government have created a new enthusiasm and positive environment for sports across the country. Chhattisgarh's athletes are also benefiting from this. Referring to the selection of Geeta Yadav and Madhu Sidar of Bilaspur Sports Academy in the Indian team for the Asia Cup, Saw said that this is a matter of pride for the entire state of Chhattisgarh. The state's talents are constantly reaching bigger platforms.

*A positive environment for sports has been created in the country: Union Minister of State Tokhan Sahu*
Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said that hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand made India proud globally with his sport. Today, following in his footsteps, the sons and daughters of Chhattisgarh are bringing glory to the state and country in various sports.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the encouragement, modern facilities, and opportunities provided to athletes have fostered a positive sports environment in the country. As a result, Indian athletes are consistently performing well in major world competitions.

MP Brijmohan Agrawal said that Chhattisgarh's athletes have many great opportunities in the coming years. He expressed confidence that the state's athletes will become ambassadors of Chhattisgarh and bring glory to the state by winning medals at prestigious forums like the Commonwealth Games, the Olympics, and the Asian Games.

*Outstanding players and coaches honored for three years*
At the State Sports Awards Ceremony, outstanding players and coaches from the years 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 were honored in various categories. These included the Martyr Rajiv Pandey Award, Martyr Kaushal Yadav Award, Veer Hanuman Singh Award, Martyr Pankaj Vikram Award, Martyr Vinod Choubey Award, and the Chief Minister's Trophy.

*Year 2023-24*
Martyr Rajiv Pandey Award – Ms. Monika Sahu (Fencing), Subhash Lahare (Weightlifting), Anup Yadu (Netball), Rajesh Rathore (Netball), Bhupendra Kumar Gadhe (Softball) and Parmanand (Para Swimming).

Martyr Kaushal Yadav Award – Dipanshi Netam (Fencing), Mahendra Dhurve (Volleyball), Amit Kumar (Athletics) and Rakesh Kadti (Softball).

Veer Hanuman Singh Award – Vikas Dhidhi (Para Judo).

Martyr Pankaj Vikram Samman – Ms. Sita Sahu (Para Wheelchair Fencing), Karan Bharti (Wushu), Ms. Priyanka Thakur (Wushu), Shashank Masih (Rifle Shooting), Rajiv Sahu (Table Tennis), Ms. Kajal (Table Tennis), Ms. Bhumika Upadhyay (Hockey) and Ajinkya Singh (Swimming).

Martyr Vinod Choubey Award – Pravesh Chaddha (Shooting), Vijay Bahadur (Handball), Laxman Lal Sahu (Wrestling), K. Ravi Shankar (Table Tennis) and Giriraj Bagri (Table Tennis).

Chief Minister Trophy – Para Wheelchair Fencing Team of Bilaspur in the Senior Category.

*Year 2024-25*
Shaheed Rajiv Pandey Award – Ms. Gyaneshwari Yadav (Weightlifting), Ishaan Bhatnagar (Badminton), Divyanshu Netam (Fencing), Ms. Bhoomi Gupta (Swimming), Ms. Sonam Sharma (Netball), Kalaram Patel (Para Athletics) and Lomendra Sahu.

Martyr Kaushal Yadav Award – Manas Bhattacharya (Badminton) and Sukhdev (Para Athletics).

*Veer Hanuman Singh Award – Ashok Kumar Sahu (Kayaking and Canoeing).

शहीद पंकज विक्रम सम्मान – कु. सुमन यादव (फुटबॉल), रोहित रजक (हॉकी), कु. गीतांजलि निर्मलकर (हॉकी), के.एस. साई प्रशांत (टेबल टेनिस), कु. सुष्मिता सोम (टेबल टेनिस), रामकृष्ण साहू (पैरा स्विमिंग), स्वाति साहू (पैरा व्हीलचेयर फेंसिंग), साकेत सामुएल (रायफल शूटिंग), अमन तिवारी (वुशू) एवं कु. मानसी डुंभरे (वुशू)।

Martyr Vinod Choubey Award – Prabha Hussain (Athletics), Sangeeta Rajagopalan (Badminton), Gama Yadav (Wrestling) and Pranay Nand Majumdar (Table Tennis).

Chief Minister Trophy – Bilaspur Archery Team in Senior Women's Category.

*Year 2025-26*
Martyr Rajiv Pandey Award – Vikas Kumar (Archery), Kiran Pisda (Football), Deepanshi Netam (Fencing), Sujay Tamboli (Badminton), Ayush Makhija (Badminton), Sanju Devi (Kabaddi), Reema Rai (Soft Tennis), Misha Kumari (Netball) and Lucky Yadav (Para Athletics).

Martyr Kaushal Yadav Award – Divyanshu Dewangan (Shooting), Vikram Raj (Archery), Divyansh Agarwal (Badminton), Sonika Rajwade (Athletics), Swapnil Pradhan (Wushu), Bhumika Chaudhary (Netball), Pooja (Netball) and Nikhil Kumar Yadav (Para Athletics).

Veer Hanuman Singh Award – Ajay Deep Sarang (Weightlifting).
Martyr Pankaj Vikram Samman – Sanskar Dewan (Wushu), Vidya Singh (Wushu), Ankush Singh (Kho-Kho), Jhamita Sahu (Kho-Kho), Hemshikhar (Volleyball), Arandim Debnath (Table Tennis), Sneha Nyogi (Judo), Anmol Singh (Judo), Yash Kerketta (Boxing), Tukesh Sahu (Gymnastics), Semeshwar Singh (Para Swimming), Shrikant Pandey (Para Judo) and Khushal Yadav (Hockey).

Martyr Vinod Choubey Award – Gangeshwar (Athletics), Khwaja Ahmed (Volleyball), Evan Kumar Jain (Weightlifting), Mohammad Akram Khan (Volleyball) and Pradeep Joshi (Table Tennis).