Hockey player Hardik Singh has been nominated as the sole recipient for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. A total of 24 athletes have been recommended for the Arjuna Awards, including chess players Divya Deshmukh and Vidit Gujrathi, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, and Yogasan athlete Aarti Pal. Notably, no cricketers were shortlisted for the Khel Ratna or Arjuna Awards this year, indicating a shift in focus towards Olympic and emerging sports.