Mumbai: The Maharashtra government announced the dates of the Shiv Chhatrapati State Sports Awards for the year 2023–24 on Wednesday. The awards will be presented in a grand ceremony on Friday, April 18, at 11:00 am at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Mhalunge-Balewadi, Pune.
The Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan will present the awards, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and several other dignitaries in attendance, as per the Times Of India report.
The Ministry of Sports and Youth Welfare, Dattatray Bharane, made the official announcement at the Mantralaya. A total of 89 awards across various categories have been declared, covering the 2022–23 and 2023–24 award years.
The former kabaddi player and organiser Shakuntala Khatavkar will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first woman to be honoured with this distinction since its inception in 2001. Khatavkar, a former Arjuna Awardee (1978), represented Maharashtra in 106 national matches between 1979 and 1982 and led the state to eight national championship wins. She currently serves as vice president of the Maharashtra State and Pune District Kabaddi Associations.
The Paralympic shot put medallist Sachin Khilari, world archery champions Aditi Swami and Ojas Deotale, and Indian cricketers Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are among 18 athletes selected for the Shiv Chhatrapati Direct Sports Award.
The Lifetime Achievement Award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a memento, while recipients of the Shiv Chhatrapati State Sports Awards will receive Rs 3 lakh and a memento. Joint Director of Sports, Sudhir More, stated that awards for both years are being combined into a single celebration to honour Maharashtra’s sporting excellence, as per report.
