Celebrating the extraordinary grit and determination of the state’s elite athletes, the Himachal Pradesh government will host a grand award ceremony this October to honour sports personalities who brought glory to the nation at the 20th Asian Games. The state will distribute a total prize purse of ₹9.03 crore among the medallists.
Leading the list of honourees are the stars of the gold medal-winning Indian Women’s Kabaddi team—Ritu Negi, Pushpa Rana, Jyoti Thakur, and Bhawana Thakur—alongside women’s cricket gold medallist Renuka Thakur, each receiving ₹1 crore. Silver medallist marathon runner Sawan Barwal will be awarded ₹2.50 crore, while bronze medallist distance runner Seema Kumari (10,000m) will receive ₹1.50 crore. Judoka Takhelambam Inungambi will also be awarded ₹3 lakh for her participation.
In a landmark policy shift to safeguard sports talent, the state Cabinet recently amended international cash award regulations. Under the updated framework, Himachali athletes in medal-winning Indian team events are guaranteed equal or proportional distributions, ensuring a minimum baseline of 25% of individual cash rewards. To secure long-term career stability for these champions, the Cabinet has also sanctioned dedicated District Youth Services and Sports Officer posts for international medallists.
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