Which Is The Highest Sports Award In India?

The National Sports Prizes are a collection of six separate awards awarded to sportspeople, coaches, and organizations for their achievements and contributions to the advancement of Indian sports. They are regarded as the pinnacle of athletic honors in India.

The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award has been presented alongside the six National Sports Awards from 2004, making it an unofficial addition to the list.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India yearly awards the National Sports Awards.

On India's National Sports Day - August 29 - the birthday of Indian hockey star Major Dhyan Chand, the President of India presents medals to nominated athletes in the Presidential Palace. Here is a closer examination of each of the awards.

Khel Ratna Award

The Khel Ratna was founded in 1991-92 as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award before being renamed the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021. It is regarded as India's top athletic honor. Winners of the Khel Ratna get a medallion, a certificate, and a monetary prize for their extraordinary athletic achievements over four years.

Viswanathan Anand, an Indian chess grandmaster, was India's first-ever Khel Ratna recipient. Other winners include great athletes such as MC Mary Kom, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Vijender Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli.

Abhinav Bindra, the handgun shooter who won India's first-ever individual gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, is the youngest recipient of the Khel Ratna. 18-year-old Bindra won the title in 2001 when he was only 18. Karnam Malleswari, an Olympic bronze medalist in weightlifting, was the first Indian woman to earn the Khel Ratna in 1994-95.

Arjuna Award

The Arjuna Award was established in 1961 and named Arjuna, the protagonist of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. It was India's highest sporting honor before Khel Ratna's creation.

Winners of the Arjuna Award get a statuette of Arjuna, a certificate, and a monetary prize in recognition of their consistent excellence over four years.

PK Banerjee, an Indian football Olympian, was among the initial twenty recipients of the Arjuna Award in 1961. Anna Lumsden, a hockey player, was the first woman to earn the Arjuna Award.

The existing rules prohibit a Khel Ratna recipient from being nominated for the Arjuna Award. However, a recipient of the Arjuna may be nominated for the Khel Ratna.

Dronacharya Award

Initiated in 1985, the Dronacharya Award is India's top sports honor for coaches. It is presented to those who have produced medalists at significant international competitions.

Dronacharya or Drona was Arjuna's teacher or mentor in the Mahabharata. The award consists of a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate, and a monetary prize.

Among the earliest recipients of the Dronacharya Award were wrestling coach Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat, boxing trainer Om Prakash Bharadwaj, and famed athletics coach OM Nambiar, who is credited with shaping the career of Indian sprint queen PT Usha.

Renu Kohli was the first woman to get the Dronacharya award in 2002. The Dronacharya Award is presented for recent achievements and contributions over a lifetime.

Major Dhyan Chand Award

The Major Dhyan Chand Award is named after India's hockey wizard Dhyan Chand and marks India's highest honor for lifetime achievements in sports.

Since 2002, recipients have received a Dhyan Chand statuette, a certificate, and a monetary award for outstanding performance and contribution to the promotion of sports in an individual capacity.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy

The MAKA Trophy, also known as the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy, is India's oldest National Sports Award. It was established between 1956 and 1957.

The prize is named after an Indian freedom hero and the nation's first minister of education, Abul Kalam Azad. It is granted to the university with the best performance in inter-university games over the last year.

The original award went to Bombay University, but since then, the Guru Nanak Dev University from Amritsar, Punjab, has topped the winners' list, claiming 22 of the 64 available awards. The award consists of the MAKA Trophy, which is passed from year to year, and a monetary prize.

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