On November 14, 2022, National Sports Awards 2022 were announced by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) which will be conferred upon the 41 deserving sportspersons, coaches and entities under 6 categories by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu at a specially organized function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on November 30, 2022.
- The awards were recommended by the 12-member Selection Committee headed by Justice (Retd.) Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar, (former Judge of Supreme Court of India) after due scrutiny, and consisting of members including eminent sportspersons, persons having experience in sports journalism and sports administrators.
Key highlights:
i.Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2022 will be given to table tennis player Sharath Kamal Achanta.
- He is the second player in table tennis to be awarded the Khel Ratna honor after Manika Batra in 2020.
ii.This is for the first time, applications were only accepted online, and this year, sportspeople, coaches, and entities were allowed to self-apply through a portal.
iii.Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar (Punjab) won the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2022 for the record 24th time.
Here is the list of awardees:
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2022
Number of Awardees: 1
| Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Sharath Kamal Achanta | Table Tennis |
It is the highest sporting honour of India. It is given for most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four year. It was formerly known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. In August, 2021 it was renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. As of 2022, there have been 58 recipients from 15 sport disciplines.
- Award- It comprises a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh.
- First Winner- Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand
- Established- 1991-1992
Arjuna Awards for outstanding performance in Sports and Games 2022
Number of Awardees: 25
| Name of the sportsperson | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Seema Punia | Athletics |
| Eldhose Paul | Athletics |
| Avinash Mukund Sable | Athletics |
| Lakshya Sen | Badminton |
| Prannoy HS | Badminton |
| Amit | Boxing |
| Nikhat Zareen | Boxing |
| Bhakti Pradip Kulkarni | Chess |
| R Praggnanandhaa | Chess |
| Deep Grace Ekka | Hockey |
| Shushila Devi | Judo |
| Sakshi Kumari | Kabaddi |
| Nayan Moni Saikia | Lawn Bowl |
| Sagar Kailas Ovhalkar | Mallakhamb |
| ElavenilValarivan | Shooting |
| Omprakash Mitharval | Shooting |
| Sreeja Akula | Table Tennis |
| Vikas Thakur | Weightlifting |
| Anshu | Wrestling |
| Sarita | Wrestling |
| Parveen | Wushu |
| Manasi Girishchandra Joshi | Para Badminton |
| Tarun Dhillon | Para Badminton |
| Swapnil Sanjay Patil | Para Swimming |
| Jerlin Anika J | Deaf Badminton |
It is the second highest sporting honour of India to acknowledge good performance over a period of the previous four years and for showing qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline. It should be noted that Arjuna Award was the highest sporting honour of India before the introduction of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 1991–1992.
- Award- It comprises a Bronze statuette of Arjuna, Certificate, Ceremonial Dress, and a Cash Prize of Rs 15 lakh.
- First Winner– 20 Sportspersons
- Established– 1961
Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games 2022
Number of Awardees: 7 (4 Regular Category & 3 in Lifetime Category)
Regular Category:
| Name of the Coach | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Jiwanjot Singh Teja | Archery |
| Mohammad Ali Qamar | Boxing |
| Suma Siddharth Shirur | Para Shooting |
| Sujeet Maan | Wrestling |
Lifetime Category: For coaches who have helped sportspersons achieve excellence over a period of 20 years or more.
| Name of the Coach | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Dinesh Jawahar Lad | Cricket |
| Bimal Prafulla Ghosh | Football |
| Raj Singh | Wrestling |
It is the sports coaching honour of India for the outstanding and meritorious work of coaches on a consistent basis and for enabling sportspersons to excel in International events.
- Award- It comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of 15 lakh for life-time achievement, and Rs 10 lakh for regular.
- First Winners- Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat (Wrestling), Om Prakash Bhardwaj (Boxing), and Othayothu Madhavan Nambiar (Athletics) in Regular Category. Athletics coach Kuntal Roy and hockey coach Rajinder Singh in Lifetime Category.
- Established- 1985 (Regular); 2011 (Lifetime)
Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime achievement in Sports and Games 2022
Number of Awardees: 4
| Name of the sportsperson | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Ashwini Akkunji C. | Athletics |
| Dharamvir Singh | Hockey |
| B.C Suresh | Kabaddi |
| Nir Bahadur Gurung | Para Athletics |
This award recognizes sportspersons who have contributed to sports by their performance and who continue to contribute to promotion of sports event after their retirement.
- Award– It comprises a statuette, a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of 10 lakh
- First Winner– Shahuraj Birajdar (Boxing), Ashok Diwan (Hockey), and Aparna Ghosh (Basketball)
- Established– 2002
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2022
Number of Awardees: 3
| Category | Entity recommended for RashtriyaKhel Protsahan Puruskar, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Identification and Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent | TransStadia Enterprises Private Limited
|
| Encouragement to sports through Corporate Social Responsibility | Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology |
| Sports for Development
| Ladakh Ski & Snowboard Association |
It is given to corporate entities (both in private and public sector), Sports Control Boards, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), including sports bodies at the State and National level, who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.
- Award– A citation and a Trophy
- First Winners- Railways Sports Promotion Board, & Tata Steel
- Established– 2009
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2022:
Number of Awardees: 1
| Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar (Punjab) |
It honours the overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments.
- Awards– A rolling MAKA trophy and a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh
- First Winner– Bombay University,Mumbai (Maharashtra)
- Established– 1956-57
Recent Related News:
i.India’s leading cueist, Pankaj Advani won the 2022 IBSF (International Billiards & Snooker Federation) World Billiards Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
ii.Indian Women’s cricket team captained by Harmanpreet Kaur has won the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Women’s Twenty20 (T20) Asia Cup 2022 by 8 wickets defeating the Sri Lanka women’s team.
About Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS):
Union Minister – Anurag Singh Thakur (Constituency- Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS)– Nisith Pramanik (Constituency- Coochbehar, West Bengal)
