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One of the biggest honors for a sportsperson/organization other than individual medals and trophies in their respective sport is being recognized by the country and its Government. Sports fraternity’s contribution towards sports is awarded by the Indian government through various national sports awards. Here are the 5 Most Prestigious Sports Awards of India-
Sports Awards of India
The prestigious awards are awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and sports. The President of India presents the awards on National Sports Day, August 29th, the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting honor in the country. The 5 most prestigious sports awards in India are:
List of sports awards of India
| S.N | Indian Sports Awards | Instituted in | Reward |
| 1 | Arjuna Award | 1961 | Rs 15, 00,000 /- |
| 2 | Dronacharya Award | 1985 | Rs 15, 00,000 /- |
| 3 | Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award | 1991-92 | Rs 25, 00,000 /- |
| 4 | Dhyan Chand Award | 2002 | Rs 10, 00,000 /- |
| 5 | Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar | 2009 | a citation and a trophy |
Sports awards of India: Arjuna Award
Instituted in: 1961
The award is named after Arjuna, a character from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata of ancient India. Arjuna is seen as a symbol of hard work, dedication, and concentration. It is an award to recognize excellent achievement in sports. Arjun award is one of highest Sports awards of India.
Rewards
It carries a cash prize of Rs 15, 00,000 /-, A scroll, ceremonial dress, and a bronze statue of Arjuna
Eligibility
To get this Indian sports awards, a sportsperson should have had good performance consistently in the previous four years at events like Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championship, World Cup, Indigenous Games, and Parasports.
Nomination
The nominations for the award are received from all government-recognized National Sports Federations, the Indian Olympic Association, the Sports Authority of India, the state and the union territory governments, and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dhyan Chand, and Dronacharya awardees of the previous years.
Revisions over the years
- Over the years, the scope of this particular sports awards of India has been expanded and many athletes who belonged to the pre-Arjuna Award era were also included in the list.
- The number of disciplines for which the award is given was increased to include indigenous games and para-sports.
- The latest revision in 2018 includes that the award is given only to the disciplines included in the events like Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championship, and World Cup.
- Only fifteen awards to be presented in a year, relaxing in case of excellent performance in major multi-sport events, team sports across gender, and giving away at least one award to the physically challenged category.
Notable Recipients
A total of 881 sportspersons and 1 team have been conferred with this award.
Some Notable recipients include-
- Virat Kohli – Cricket
- Manuel Aaron – Chess
- Baichung Bhutia – Football
- Sania Mirza – Tennis
- PV Sindhu – Badminton
- Aditi Ashok – Golf
- Abhinav Bindra – Shooting
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Sports awards of India: Dronacharya Award
Instituted in: 1985
The award is named after Drona or “Dronacharya” a character from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata of ancient India. He was the master and guru of the Kaurava and Pandava Princes in the tale. It is an award to honor outstanding coaching abilities.
Rewards
It carries a cash prize of Rs 15, 00,000 /-, A scroll, ceremonial dress, and a bronze statue of Dronacharya.
Eligibility
This Indian sports award is given to the coaches of the disciplines included in the events like Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championship, World Cup, Indigenous Games, and Parasports. Based on Outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and enabled athletes under their tutelage to excel in international events over a period of four years to twenty years.
Nomination
The nominations for this national sports award are received from all government-recognized National Sports Federations, the Indian Olympic Association, the Sports Authority of India, and the state and the union territory governments with not more than two eligible coaches nominated for each sports discipline. The previous award recipients of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, and Dhyan Chand Award can also nominate one coach for the discipline for which they themselves were awarded. A ten-member committee evaluates the nominations and later submits their recommendations to the Ministry for further approval.
Notable Recipients
A total of 129 coaches have been conferred with this national sports award. The first recipients of the award who were honored in 1985 were
Some Notable Recipients include-
- Pullela Gopichand – Badminton
- Mahavir Singh Phogat – Wrestling
- MK Kaushik – Hockey
- Syed Nayeemuddin – Football
Highest sports awards in India: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
Instituted in: 1991-92
This sports awards of India was originally named after the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In 2021, The Government decided to name it after Indian Hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time in the sport. It is highest sports awards in India and is awarded for spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports.
Rewards
It carries a cash prize of Rs 25, 00,000 /-, A scroll, ceremonial dress, and a medallion.
Eligibility
In the past, the award was given for the performance by a sportsperson in a year. The Ministry revised the criteria in 2015 to consider the performance of a sportsperson over a period of four years. A twelve-member committee evaluates the performances of a sportsperson at various International events like Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games
Nomination
The nominations for the award are received from all government-recognized National Sports Federations, the Indian Olympic Association, the Sports Authority of India, and the state and the union territory governments with not more than two eligible sports persons nominated for each sports discipline.
Notable Recipients
A total of 45 sportspersons have been conferred with this highest sports awards in india. Chess Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand was the 1st Recipient of the Award in 1991-92. Cueist Pankaj Advani is the only recipient to be awarded 2 times, for Snooker and Billiards respectively.
Some notable recipients include-
- Sachin Tendulkar – Cricket
- Leander Paes – Tennis
- MS Dhoni – Cricket
- Mary Kom – Boxing
- Saina Nehwal – Badminton
- Devendra Jhajharia – Para Javelin throw
- Mariyappan Thangavelu – Para Athletics
- Rani Rampal – Hockey
- Rohit Sharma – Cricket
- Manika Batra – Table tennis
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Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports
Instituted in: 2002
The award takes after Indian Hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time in the sport, scoring over 1000 goals in his career. It is the lifetime achievement sporting honor for the contribution to a sport both during an individual’s active sporting career and after retirement.
Rewards
It carries a cash prize of Rs 10, 00,000 /-, A certificate, ceremonial dress, and a statue of Dhyan Chand.
Eligibility
The Indian sports award is given only to individuals whose disciplines are included in the events like Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championship, World Cup, Indigenous Games, and Parasport for lifetime achievement sporting honor.
Nomination
The nominations for the award are received from all government-recognized National Sports Federations, the Indian Olympic Association, the Sports Authority of India, and the state and the union territory governments. The previous award recipients of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, and Dhyan Chand Award can also nominate. A nine-member committee evaluates the nominations and later submits their recommendations to the Sports Ministry for further approval.
Notable Recipients
A total of 75 recipients have been conferred with this award. The first recipients of the award in 2002 were
- Shahuraj Birajdar -Boxing
- Ashok Diwan – Hockey
- Aparna Ghosh – Basketball
Some Notable Recipients include-
- Manpreet Singh – Kabaddi
- Maruti Mane – Wrestling
- Syed Hakim – Football
- Nandan Bal – Tennis
- N Usha – Boxing
- Sathi Geeta – Athletics
- Smita Yadav – Rowing
- Sukhbir Singh Tokas – Para sports
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar
Instituted in: 2009
The name of the award in Hindi translates to National Sports Promotion Award. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The award recognizes the involvement of corporates, voluntary organizations, and sports control boards in the promotion and development of sports in the country.
Categories
There are 4 categories for the award
- Identification and nurturing of budding and young talent
- Encouragement of sports through corporate social responsibility
- Employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures
- Sports for development
Rewards
This sports award in India comprise a citation and a trophy in each of the 4 categories.
Notable Recipients
A total of 47 organizations and individuals have been conferred with this award.
Some notable recipients include-
- Tata Steel
- Services sports control board
- U.K. Mishra
- JSW sports
- Usha School of athletics
- Gopichand Badminton Academy
- Army Institute of sports
- International Institute of Sports Management
- Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan
- ONGC
- Go Sports Foundation
- RBI
- Reliance Foundation
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