New Delhi | November 17, 2023: Celebrating the relentless spirit of India’s sports icons who have brought glory to the nation, ‘CNN-News18 Indian of the Year’ (IOTY), news television’s biggest awards platform, has unveiled the nominees in the Sports category this year. The awards platform would honour exceptional sportspersons whose talent and commitment have elevated India’s standing on the global sports stage.

Currently into its 13^th edition, the awards recognize and award individuals who have brought pride to the nation with remarkable contributions in their respective fields. Recognizing excellence across seven categories – Entertainment, Business, Sports, Youth Icon, Rising Sports Star, Social Change, and Climate Warriors, IOTY 2023 promises to be a celebration of India’s finest achievers on the global stage.

The nominees in the Sports category consist of extraordinary individuals who have exemplified grit, perseverance, and excellence, which include India’s biggest sports personalities such as Sunil Chhetri, Shubman Gill, Nikhat Zareen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy – Chirag Shetty, and Neeraj Chopra.

Captain of the 2023 SAFF championship winning Indian football team, Sunil Chhetri has scored over 90 international goals in his career. He is the third highest goal scorer amongst active players behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Shubman Gill, the promising Indian cricketer, has emerged as one of the brightest prospects of the Indian cricket team. Gill had a stellar IPL season and became the youngest cricketer to score an ODI double century.

In the realm of boxing, Nikhat Zareen, the world champion Indian boxer, clinched a second successive World title and Commonwealth Games gold medal. Zareen’s triumph at the 2022 World Boxing Championships in the flyweight category is a testament to her dedication and skill.

Satwik and Chirag became the first Indian men’s duo to win the Asian Badminton Championship, a world championship medal, and a super series 1000 event. Their prowess on the court helped them scale new heights in 2023 and brought pride to the nation.

India’s first gold medallist at the World Athletics Championships, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra won a silver medal at the Diamond League. His unwavering commitment and hunger for excellence puts him on course to be the ‘greatest of all time’ athletes India has produced.

The winner will be revealed at the star-studded grand finale celebrating luminaries in Indian entertainment at The Indian of the Year 2023 award ceremony.

‘CNN-News18 Indian of the Year’ has a rich legacy of honouring exceptional talent across various fields. Past winners in the sports category include legendary names like Viswanathan Anand, Sania Mirza, PV Sindhu, MS Dhoni, Saina Nehwal, and Abhinav Bindra, to name a few.

This year, the winner selection process will combine expert judgment and public voting, with 50% of the decision-making power given to the audience and the remaining 50% entrusted to the jury. Online voting will remain open throughout November. To cast your vote for your favourite Indian and for more details regarding the awards, visit www.indianoftheyear.com