SSI National Sports Award: 24 Top Athletes Honoured
Three players from India's women's Ice Hockey Team, which won the historic bronze at the 2025 IIHF Women's Asia Cup in Al-Ain, UAE, attended the event along
Calling for active participation and initiatives from all stakeholders, athletes, sports science experts, officials, and entrepreneurs set themselves on a mission to bolster grassroots-level sports in India with eyes set on the 2036 Olympics at the SSI National Sports Award ceremony. It was a common platform for sports science experts, national-level athletes, bureaucrats, sports officials, and other sports enthusiasts on Saturday at Kalinga Stadium. As many as 24 awards were presented to national and international-level athletes, most of whom were Olympians and Arjuna Awardees. Interestingly, three legends of shot put - Shakti Singh, two-time Olympian and Asian Athletics Championship gold medallist; Olympian OP Singh Karhana, also a former Asian champion and national record holder; and Samardeep Singh Gill - were on the same stage to receive SSI awards, organised by Bhubaneswar-based SSI along with SNM Group and with support from the Odisha state government.
Three players from India's women's Ice Hockey Team, which won the historic bronze at the 2025 IIHF Women's Asia Cup in Al-Ain, UAE, attended the event along with Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) secretary general Harjinder Singh. They narrated how challenging it was to break barriers and win a medal in the sport, as infrastructural limitations often pose hurdles for ice hockey players in a tropical country. The team received the SSI Paika Team Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Shakti Singh, table tennis legend Sharath Kamal, and the colossus of domestic cricket, Wasim Jaffer. Swimmer Sajan Prakash, ace shuttler Ayush Shetty, national record-breaking hurdler and one of India's fastest-rising track stars Jyothi Yarraji, sprinter Animesh Kujur, and hockey star Deepa Grace Ekka were also honoured, among others.
The awards spanned a wide array of sporting disciplines and achievements. The SSI Karna Award, named after the mythological warrior to symbolise valour, precision, and sporting spirit, was conferred across multiple major categories. The Milkha Singh Sprint Award, instituted with due permission from the legendary sprinter's family, recognised India's fastest athletes. Awards named after Dilip Tirkey and Shakti Singh honoured excellence in hockey and throwing events respectively, alongside numerous other recognitions celebrating grassroots work, coaching contributions, sports science innovation, and lifetime service. The Best Coach Award was given to Olympian and former archer Rahul Banerjee, C. Ajith Kumar, and Hariprasad Pattanayak.
SSI founder Dr. Sarthak Patnaik narrated his vision of strengthening grassroots sports in India to the audience. Taking a cue from the Bollywood movie Swades, Patnaik shared that he returned from abroad after completing his specialization in sports science to give back to the country. He expressed his desire to help India in every possible way to clinch more Olympic medals. Patnaik has been helping India's ice hockey teams at national and international events as their chief medical officer.
Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja-who was the chief guest at the event-recollected his stint as the state's sports secretary back in 2012, sharing anecdotes about his fondness for sports. The senior bureaucrat, who shared the dais with Dr. Vijay, Director of Sports; Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur; and Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey, hailed the SSI Sports National Award 2025 recipients as the true 'guests of honour' for the evening.
The celebrations continued the next day with the Sports Science Conclave, which brought together experts, coaches, researchers, and athletes to discuss next-generation training methodologies, biomechanics, nutrition, recovery, injury prevention, and performance analytics - key areas shaping the future of Indian sport.