1. Purpose:
    • Recognize and reward excellence in sports.
    • Highlight extraordinary performance at national and international events.
    • Encourage sportsmanship and promote nation-building.
    • Foster a sense of national pride and unity in a diverse nation like India.
  2. Administration:
    • Administered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.
  3. Key Objectives:
    • Promote qualities like leadership, discipline, commitment, teamwork, and passion for health and fitness.
    • Inspire the youth population, considering India has the world’s largest youth demographic.
  4. Criteria for Recognition:
    • Excellence in performance at national and international sporting events.
    • Demonstrated sportsmanship and fair play.
    • Contribution to the promotion of sports in the country.
  5. Categories of Awards:
    • Awards may include honors for individual athletes, teams, coaches, and sports administrators.
    • Recognition may span various sports disciplines, ensuring inclusivity across different sporting domains.
  6. Impact:
    • Enhances the prestige of Indian sports at the national and global levels.
    • Encourages aspiring athletes to strive for excellence.
    • Inspires the youth to embrace sports as a means of personal development and national pride.
  7. Ceremonial Aspect:
    • The awards ceremony serves as a platform to showcase the achievements of athletes and teams.
    • Provides an opportunity for the government and sports authorities to publicly acknowledge and celebrate sporting excellence.
  8. Promotion of Sports Culture:
    • Reinforces the importance of sports in Indian society.
    • Encourages participation in sports at all levels, from grassroots to elite competition.
    • Fosters a culture of fitness and wellness among citizens.
  9. Long-term Goals:
    • Continued promotion of sports at the grassroots level.
    • Development of world-class infrastructure and training facilities.
    • Consistent support for athletes across all stages of their careers.
  10. Role in Nation Building:
    • Sports serve as a unifying force, transcending barriers of caste, creed, and region.
    • Cultivates a sense of national identity and solidarity among citizens.
    • Showcases India’s prowess on the global sporting stage, contributing to its soft power diplomacy.

Categories

The six categories of the National Sports Awards are:

  1. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
  2. Arjuna Award,
  3. Dronacharya Award,
  4. Major Dhyan Chand Award,
  5. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad rolling Trophy, also called the MAKA Trophy, and
  6. Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar

Note: Since 2004, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award has also been given out along with the six National Sports Awards.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

  • The Khel Ratna, established in 1991-92, is India’s highest sporting honor.
  • Named after Major Dhyan Chand, an Indian hockey legend renowned for his exceptional skills and achievements.
  • Dhyan Chand played a pivotal role in India’s dominance in hockey, securing three consecutive gold medals at the Olympics from 1928 to 1936.
  • Known as the ‘Hockey Wizard’ and ‘The Magician’ for his unparalleled mastery and ball control.
  • Recipients are selected by a committee constituted by the Ministry and honoured for their “spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years” at an international level. 
  • Recipients of the Khel Ratna receive a medallion, certificate, and cash prize.
  • In 1991-1992, the first Khel Ratna award was presented to chess grandmaster and former world chess Champion Shri Vishwanathan Anand as well as Shri Geet Sethi who dominated the English Billiards throughout the 1990s.
  • The youngest athlete to receive the Khel Ratna award is pistol shooter Abhinav Bindra, who captured the first individual gold medal for India ever in the Olympics in Beijing in 2008.
  • Olympic bronze medal-winning weightlifter Karnam Malleswari was the first Indian woman to receive the Khel Ratna in 1994-95.
  • Esteemed athletes such as MC Mary Kom, S. Mirabai Chanu, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Vijender Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli have been honored with the Khel Ratna in the past.

Arjuna Award

  • The Arjuna Award, established in 1961, derives its name from Arjuna, the main character in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata.
  • Prior to the establishment of the Khel Ratna, the Arjuna Award held the distinction of being India’s highest sporting honor.
  • The recipients are selected by a committee constituted by the Ministry and are honoured for their “good performance in the field of sports over a period of four years” at the international level and for having shown “qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.” 
  • Recipients of the Arjuna Award are presented with a statuette of Arjuna, a certificate, and a cash prize.
  • PK Banerjee, an Indian football Olympian, was the first recipient of the Arjuna Award in its inaugural year, 1961.
  • Anna Lumsden, a hockey player, became the first woman to receive the Arjuna Award.

Dronacharya Award

  • The Dronacharya Award, established in 1985, is India’s highest sporting honor for coaches.
  • Named after Dronacharya, the revered coach of Arjuna in the Indian epic Mahabharata.
  • It is conferred upon individuals who have produced medal-winning athletes at prestigious international events.
  • Recipients of the Dronacharya Award are presented with a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate, and a cash prize.
  • The award recognizes both recent accomplishments and lifetime contributions in coaching.
  • Renu Kohli, an athletics coach, became the first woman to receive the Dronacharya Award in 2002.
  • Among the initial recipients of the Dronacharya Award in 1985 were wrestling coach Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat, boxing mentor Om Prakash Bharadwaj, and athletics coach OM Nambiar, known for shaping the career of Indian sprinter PT Usha.

Major Dhyan Chand Award

  • The Major Dhyan Chand Award, named after the legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand, is India’s highest honor for lifetime achievements in sports.
  • Instituted in 2002, it recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to sports and its promotion over their careers.
  • Recipients of the Major Dhyan Chand Award are honored for their performance and contributions in sports on an individual basis.
  • Awardees receive a statuette of Dhyan Chand, a certificate, and a cash prize.
  • The inaugural recipients of the Major Dhyan Chand Award in 2002 were Olympian boxer Shahuraj Birajdar, Indian men’s hockey team player Ashok Diwan, and Aparna Ghosh, an accomplished player and coach in the Indian women’s basketball team.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (MAKA)

  • The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy, or MAKA Trophy, is the oldest National Sports Award in India, instituted in 1956-1957.
  • Named in honor of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the Indian freedom fighter and first education minister of India.
  • Awarded to an institution or university for outstanding performance in inter-university tournaments over the previous year.
  • The trophy itself is a rolling one, passed on to the winner each year, along with a cash prize.
  • In its inaugural year, 1956-57, the MAKA Trophy was awarded to Bombay University for its promotion of competitive sports, excellence in sports, and integration of sports and physical fitness into their curriculum.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar

  • The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar, established in 2009, is a part of the National Sports Awards list.
  • It recognizes organizations, both public and private, as well as individuals, for their contributions to sports promotion and development over the past three years.
  • Nominees are selected based on their involvement in four different segments:
    • Identification and nurturing of budding and young talent.
    • Encouragement to sports through corporate social responsibility.
    • Employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures.
    • Sports for development.
  • Winners from each category receive a citation and a trophy.
  • Multiple winners may be awarded in a single category in a given year.
  • In 2009, Tata Steel Limited received two awards:
    • Community Sports Identification and Nurturing of Budding Talent.
    • Establishment and Management of Sports Academies of Excellence on August 29, 2009.

Other awards

Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award

  • The National Adventure Awards, now named the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, was established in 1993-1994.
  • Awards for the year 1994 were presented in 1995.
  • The land adventure category award was granted to 19 Indian members of the successful Indo-Nepalese women’s Everest expedition of 1993.
  • Notable recipients from the expedition include Bachendri Pal, the first woman to scale Everest twice, Santosh Yadav, and Dicky Dolma, the youngest woman to reach Everest at 19.
  • Other recipients from the expedition include Rita G. Marwah, Chandra Prabha Aitwal, Deepu Sharma, Kunga Bhatia, Radha Devi, Bimla Negi, Savita Martolia, Suman Kutiyal, Sarla Negi, K Saraswati, Rita Patel, Harsha Panwar, G. Anita Devi, Rajeev Sharma, Nima Norbu, and Baldev Kanwar.
  • The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Hukum Singh for his enduring dedication to mountaineering.
  • In 2020, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award was conferred upon seven individuals, including Lieutenants Colonel Servesh Dhadwal and Colonel Amit Bisht of the Indian Army.
  • Colonel Servesh Dhadwal received the award for his contributions to skydiving activities.
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