The Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists’ Association (TNSJA) Awards and Scholarships ceremony was hosted in Chennai, where 10 athletes from different principals were rewarded INR 30,000 each. The Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Shivam Dube was invited as the chief guest of the event. And the Mumbai-born cricketer pledged to offer INR 70,000 to each added to the base amount, considering INR 30,000 might be a sort of encouragement but not enough to back the athletes. He also mentioned that such recognition programs are common in Mumbai and expressed his intent to advocate similar initiatives in other states. Dube said, "This event is truly encouraging for all the young athletes. These small achievements provide them with the extra motivation to strive harder and bring pride to the nation. I am very grateful for the invitation. While I have witnessed such initiatives in Mumbai, I am not certain about other states. I will certainly advocate for similar programs elsewhere. This Rs. 30,000 may seem like a small amount, but it serves as encouragement. When you are young, every penny and every award truly matters.” Among the awardees were athletes from various disciplines, including PB Abhinandh (table tennis), KS Vhenisa Sree (archery), Muthumeena Vellasami (para-athletics), Shameena Riaz (squash), S Nandhana and Jayant RK (cricket), Kamali P (surfing), R Abinaya and RC Jithin Arjunan (athletics), and A Takkshanth (chess). Read also: IPL 2025: 6 Players Making Their Old Teams Regret the Decision CSK, TNCA Extend Support for Multisport Development Also present at the function was Chennai Super Kings CEO K.S. Viswanathan, who reaffirmed the franchise’s support for sports beyond cricket. He said, “I want to confirm that CSK is committed to help and promote not only cricket but also other sports. I will pass on Baskaran’s request to N. Srinivasan." Dr. R.N. Baba, Assistant Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), stated that the TNSJA awards hold sentimental value in his family, as both his son and daughter-in-law are past recipients. Other prominent attendees included former India cricketer Robin Singh, MRF Pace Foundation head coach M. Senthilnathan, former India hockey captain Mohammed Riaz, TNTA joint secretary Prem Kumar Karra, and CEO Hiten Joshi. The annual TNSJA meet once again highlighted the value of institutional and personal support in nurturing grassroots-level athletes across diverse sports disciplines.