Badminton duo Satwik and Chirag receive Dhyan Chand Award

For a long time, Satwik and Chirag have been the best men’s doubles combination on the world badminton stage and were once even ranked World No.1 in 2023. One of the high-points of their career was winning the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou

Hyderabad: It was a day to remember for India’s champion doubles combination of R Satwiksairaj and Chirag Shetty when they received the prestigious Maj. Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award from the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya in Delhi on Thursday.

For a long time, Satwik and Chirag have been the best men’s doubles combination on the world badminton stage and were once even ranked World No.1 in 2023. One of the high-points of their career was winning the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou.

Interestingly, in 2023 itself Satwik and Chirag were shortlisted for this Dhyan Chand Award but could not get it because of their tournament commitments at the time.

“Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna is the highest sporting honour of the country. Satwik and Chirag, both of you, have brought honour to the country by winning medals in international competitions through extraordinary skills and sheer hard work,” the Union Sports Minister said.

“When you stand on the podium along with the Tricolour to receive the prestigious medals, it is not only an honour for you but for the entire nation. For raising the pride of the country and for enhancing the honour of the Tricolour, both of you have been honoured by the Khel Ratna,” he said.

Reflecting on the Award, Chirag said the honour was long due and glad that they finally got it today.

“The support from the Government of India has been tremendous since the time me and Satwik were paired together. All our big wins – whether becoming the World No. 1, winning Asian Games gold or clinching the Thomas Cup title – a lot of credit goes to the Indian government for their continuous support,” Chirag said.

For his part, Satwik said it would be a huge boost to their confidence as they were going off-track and not playing for the next few months.

“It motivates us to get back and do well in the upcoming tournaments. The government is playing a huge role as the youngsters today are being supported through many schemes and initiatives – Khelo India, Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) etc. Intially, when I and Chirag started playing we struggled financially. Later, government came to our support and there was no looking back.,” Satwik said.