India has six sports awards at the national level: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Arjuna Award, Major Dhyan Chand Award, Dronacharya Award, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy and National Khel Protsahan Award.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
India has six sports awards at the national level: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Arjuna Award, Major Dhyan Chand Award, Dronacharya Award, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy and National Khel Protsahan Award.
They are given to sportspersons, support staff or organizations for their achievements and contribution to Indian sports. All these awards are given annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India and are usually presented by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 29 August.
In addition to the six National Sports Awards described below, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award is given since 2004 along with other sports awards.
List of Sports Awards in India
Here are the six National Sports Awards of India:
1. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, formerly known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, is the highest award given to a sportsperson in India and was instituted in the year 1991–1992.
It is given for the "most outstanding performance by a player" over a period of the last four years.It comprises a medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.
Khel Ratna Award is India's highest sports honour. It is awarded to those who are selected at the international level by a committee constituted by the Ministry for "the most outstanding and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years". Formerly known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in Sports and Games, the award was renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021 after one of India's all-time great hockey players, Dhyan Chand. Was placed. He scored over 1000 goals in a career spanning over 20 years.
The first player to win this National Sports Award was Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand in the year 1991-92. In 2001, an 18-year-old Abhinav Bindra became the youngest recipient of the award for consistently delivering good performance.
Twelve players including Neeraj Chopra (athletics), Mithali Raj (cricket), Sunil Chhetri (football) and Manpreet Singh (hockey) received the award last year. As of 2021, 57 sportspersons from fifteen sports disciplines have been awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna.
2. Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961 by the Government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in national sporting events.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh, a bronze statue of Arjuna and a certificate of honor.
The Arjuna Award, officially known as the Arjuna Award for outstanding performance in sports and games, is India's second highest sporting honour. Established in 1961, the award has undergone several amendments over the years. As per the latest amendment in 2018, the Arjuna Award is given to subjects falling under categories like Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championship, World Cup, Indigenous Games, Parasports and Cricket.
