The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced the recipients of the National Sports Awards 2021. President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, will felicitate the awardees during the award ceremony which will be held at the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan on 13th November 2021.Â
The recipients of the National Sports Awards 2021 were recommended by the Selection Committee of the National Sports Awards 2021.
National Sports Awards:
i.The National Sports Awards are annually presented to recognise and reward excellence in sports.
ii.The National Sports Awards 2021 includes
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
- Arjuna Award
- Dronacharya Award,
- Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime achievement
- Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar
- Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy
Selection Committee of the National Sports Awards 2021:
The Selection Committee of the National Sports Awards 2021 was chaired by former Supreme Court Judge Justice Mukundakum Sharma.Â
Members:
- Devendra Jhajharia, Three-time Paralympic medal-winning javelin thrower
- Venkatesh Prasad, Former Cricketer
- Venkatesh Prasad, Former World Champion (Boxing)
- Baldev Singh, Hockey coach
- Sandip Pradhan, Director General of Sports Authority
- Vijay Lokapally, senior journalists
- Vikrant Gupta, senior journalists
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award:
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting honour of India. The award is presented to recognise the spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over a period of 4 years.
- The Khel Ratna Awards was instituted in 1991-1992.
- The award carries a cash prize of Rs 25 Lakhs
Winners of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2021:
Number of awardees: 12
Number of para-sports personalities: 5
| Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Neeraj Chopra | Athletics |
| Ravi Kumar Dahiya | Wrestling |
| Lovlina Borgohain | Boxing |
| Sreejesh P.R | Hockey |
| Avani Lekhara | Para Shooting |
| Sumit Antil | Para Athletics |
| Pramod Bhagat | Para-Badminton |
| Krishna Nagar | Para-Badminton |
| Manish Narwal | Para Shooting |
| Mithali Raj | Cricket |
| Sunil Chhetri | Football |
| Manpreet Singh | Hockey |
Highlights:
Sunil Chhetri, captain of both India national football team and Bengaluru FC has become India’s first football player to be named as the recipient of the Khel Ratna Award.
Arjuna Awards for outstanding performance in Sports and Games:
Arjuna Award for outstanding performance in Sports and Games recognise the outstanding achievement of an individual in National Sports.
- The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961, named after Arjuna, a character from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.
- The award carries a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh, a bronze statue of Arjuna and a scroll.
Winners of Arjuna Awards 2021:
Number of awardees: 35
Number of para-sports personalities: 8
| Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Arpinder Singh | Athletics |
| Simranjit Kaur | Boxing |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Cricket |
| Bhavani Devi Chadalavada Anandha Sundhararaman | Fencing |
| Monika | Hockey |
| Vandana Katariya | Hockey |
| Sandeep Narwal | Kabaddi |
| Himani Uttam Parab | Mallakhamb |
| Abhishek Verma | Shooting |
| Ankita Raina | Tennis |
| Deepak Punia | Wrestling |
| Dilpreet Singh | Hockey |
| Harman Preet Singh | Hockey |
| Rupinder Pal Singh | Hockey |
| Surender Kumar | Hockey |
| Amit Rohidas | Hockey |
| Birendra Lakra | Hockey |
| Sumit | Hockey |
| Nilakanta Sharma | Hockey |
| Hardik Singh | Hockey |
| Vivek Sagar Prasad | Hockey |
| Gurjant Singh | Hockey |
| Mandeep Singh | Hockey |
| Shamsher Singh | Hockey |
| Lalit Kumar Upadhyay | Hockey |
| Varun Kumar | Hockey |
| Simranjeet Singh | Hockey |
| Yogesh Kathuniya | Para Athletics |
| Nishad Kumar | Para Athletics |
| Praveen Kumar | Para Athletics |
| Suhash Yathiraj | Para-Badminton |
| Singhraj Adhana | Para Shooting |
| Bhavina Patel | Para Table Tennis |
| Harvinder Singh | Para Archery |
| Sharad Kumar | Para Athletics |
Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games:
Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games, instituted in 1985, is awarded to the coaches to recognise their outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and enable sportspersons to excel in International events.
- The award is presented in 2 categories: Life-Time Category and Regular Category.Â
- The Dronacharya Award (Lifetime)Â carries a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh and the Dronacharya Award (Regular) carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.
Winners of Dronacharya Award 2021:
Total number of awardees: 10
Life-time Category: 5
Regular Category: 5
| Category | Name of the Coach | Discipline |
|---|---|---|
| Life-Time Category | T. P. Ouseph | Athletics |
| Sarkar Talwar | Cricket | |
| Sarpal Singh | Hockey | |
| Ashan Kumar | Kabaddi | |
| Tapan Kumar Panigrahi | Swimming | |
| Regular Category | Radhakrishnan Nair P | Athletics |
| SandhyaGurung | Boxing | |
| PritamSiwach | Hockey | |
| Jai PrakashNautiyal | Para Shooting | |
| Subramanian Raman | Table Tennis |
Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games:
Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime achievement honours the individuals who contribute to sports through their performance and continue their contribution by promoting the sports even after retirement.
- The award carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.
Winners of Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime achievement 2021:
Number of awardees: 5
| Name | Discipline |
| Lekha K.C. | Boxing |
| AbhijeetKunte | Chess |
| Davinder Singh Garcha | Hockey |
| Vikas Kumar | Kabaddi |
| Sajjan Singh | Wrestling |
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar:
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar is presented to the corporate entities including both private and public sector, sports control boards, NGOs including sports bodies at the State and National level, who have contributed towards the promotion and development of sports.
Winners of Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2021:
| Category | Recommended Entity |
|---|---|
| Identification and Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent | Manav Rachna Educational Institution |
| Encouragement to sports through Corporate Social Responsibility | Indian Oil Corporation Limited |
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy:
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy is presented to the Overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments.
Winner of MAKA Trophy 2021:
Panjab University, Chandigarh has been named as the winner of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2021.Â
About Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports:
Union Minister- Anurag Singh Thakur (Constituency- Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh)
Minister of State– Nisith Pramanik (Constituency- Coochbehar, West Bengal)
