The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recently announced the National Sports Awards 2024.

About National Sports Award

• These are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports. 
• Allocation: Awards are allocated annually by India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Nominated sportspersons receive their awards from the President of India at the Presidential Palace. 
• Categories of Awards: Considered the pinnacle of sporting honours in India, the National Sports Awards are a collection of six different awards given out to sportspersons, coaches or organisations for their achievements and contribution towards the growth of Indian sports. 

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Collection of Awards in Sports

• Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

• • Considered India’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna was established in 1991-92. 
  • It was renamed after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand in 2021.
  • The renamed Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award comes with a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.
  • The award is given for outstanding performances in sports spanning over a period of four years.
  • 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.
  • 2024 Winners: Gukesh D (Chess), Harmanpreet Singh (Hockey), Praveen Kumar (Para-Athletics), and Manu Bhaker (Shooting).

• Dronacharya Award

  • Awarded to outstanding coaches in Sports and Games for their consistent and meritorious work in training sportspersons who excel in international events.
  • It is named after Dronacharya or Drona who was Arjuna’s guru or coach in the Indian epic Mahabharata. 
  • Awardees receive a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate and a cash prize. 
  • The first woman to win the Dronacharya award was athletics coach Renu Kohli in 2002

• Arjuna Award

  • Recognizes outstanding performance in Sports and Games over the past four years.
  • Named after Arjuna, the main protagonist from the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, the Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961.
  • The winners of the Arjuna Award receive a statuette of Arjuna, a certificate and a cash prize.
  • The first Arjuna awards was conferred upon India’s football Olympian PK Banerjee.
  • Anna Lumsden was the first woman Arjuna Award winner.

• Arjuna Award (Lifetime)

  • Honors and motivates retired sportspersons who have contributed significantly to sports during their careers and continue to promote sports after retirement.
  • 2024 Winners: Shri Sucha Singh (Athletics) and Shri Murlikant Rajaram Petkar (Para-Swimming).

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• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy

  • It was instituted in 1956–1957.
  • It is given to an institution or university for top performance in interuniversity tournaments over the last one year. 
  • The reward comprises a rolling MAKA Trophy that gets passed on to the winner each year, and a cash prize. 
  • 2024 Winner: Chandigarh University.

• Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar

• • Recognizes organizations or individuals for their contribution to sports promotion and development over the past three years.
  • 2024 Winner: Physical Education Foundation of India.

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