Shimla: Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today honoured sportspersons who have brought laurels to Himachal Pradesh through their outstanding performances at national and international sporting events with the Him Ratna-2026 Awards at a state-level function held here today. He presented cheques amounting to Rs. 17.85 crore to 419 outstanding sportspersons of the state.
Of the awardees, 51 were recognised for their achievements in international competitions, while 368 were honoured for their outstanding performances at the national level. Cheques worth Rs. 13.55 crore were presented to international-level sportspersons and Rs. 4.30 crore to national-level players.
The award money for gold medal winners at the Olympic Games, Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games has been increased from Rs. 3 crore to Rs. 5 crore. Silver medal winners will now receive Rs. 3 crore instead of Rs. 2 crore, while the award for bronze medal winners has been increased from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 2 crore.
Cricket, volleyball and kabaddi competitions will be organised as part of the campaign. Young men and women between 15 and 30 years of age will be eligible to participate. The competitions will be held at sub-divisional, district and state levels. At the state level, the winning team will receive Rs. 21 lakh, the second-placed team Rs. 15 lakh and the third-placed team Rs. 10 lakh. At the district level, the first, second and third-placed teams will receive Rs. 2 lakh, Rs. 1.5 lakh and Rs. 1 lakh, respectively.
