Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and others for being conferred with the National Sports Awards.
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister congratulated all the athletes and coaches who have been conferred with the awards and stated that this is the result of years of hard work, dedication and excellence in the field.
"I congratulate all the athletes and coaches who have been conferred the National Sports Awards. These awards are the result of years of hard work, dedication and excellence on the field. India is phenomenally proud of our sportspersons!" he said.
In another tweet, Prime Minister Modi wished Kohli for his future endeavours and said that he has brought immense joy to the nation.
"Dear @imVkohli, congratulations on being conferred the Khel Ratna. As a batsman and Captain, you have brought immense joy for the nation. Your popularity among young India is also tremendous. Best wishes for your future endeavours," he wrote.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also praised Mirabai Chanu and said that the"talented weightlifter" is an inspiration for all sports lovers.
"Ms S. Mirabai Chanu has been distinguishing herself in many sports tournaments, both in India and across the world. Thanks to her skills and dedication, this talented weightlifter is an inspiration for all sports lovers. Congratulations to her on being conferred the Khel Ratna," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.
Kohli and Mirabai Chanu received the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting award of the country, by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. Apart from a medal and a citation, both the awardees received a cash prize of 7.5 lakh rupees.
By bagging the honour, Kohli also became the third Indian cricketer, after Sachin Tendulkar (1997) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2007), to receive the prestigious award.
Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, athlete Hima Das, Jinson Jhonson, shuttler Nelakurthi Sikki Reddy, boxer Satish Kumar, golfer Subhankar Sharma, shooters Rahi Sarnobat, Ankur Mittal, Shreyasi Singh,table tennis players Manika Batra, G Sathiyan, wrestler Sumit, Wushu player Pooja Kadian, para-athlete Ankur Dhama, para-badminton player Manoj Sarkar and hockey players Manpreet Singh, Savita and polo player Col. Ravi Rathore got the Arjuna Awards.
The President also presented the Dronacharya awards to eight coaches. They are Subedar Chenanda Achaiah Kuttappa for boxing, Vijay Sharma for weightlifting, A. Srinivasa Rao for table tennis, Sukhdev Singh Pannu for athletics, Clarence Lobo for hockey, Tarak Sinha for cricket, Jiwan Kumar Sharma for judo and V.R. Beedu for athletics.
Meanwhile, Dhyan Chand Award was awarded to four persons. They are Satyadev Prasad for archery, Bharat Kumar Chetri for hockey, Bobby Aloysius for athletics and Chougale Dadu Dattatray for wrestling.
Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand Awardees received statuettes, certificates and a cash prize of five lakh rupees each.
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