New Delhi: The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has disclosed the roster of athletes set to receive the prestigious National Sports Awards for the year 2024. Among those who will take home the prestigious Major Dhyanchand Khel Patna Award are four athletes, shooter Manu Baker, and chess prodigy D. Mukesh. Following behind them, both the hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and the para-athlete Praveen Kumar will receive the same prestigious prize.
The award function shall be held on January 17, 2025, at Rashtrapati Bhavani wherein the awardees will be presented with the medals by the President of India. This year’s announcement has drawn much excitement since, for the first time, no cricketers have been nominated for this year’s award.
The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is named India’s top sporting prize and was previously known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. It is awarded to athletes who have shown remarkable sports performance for four consecutive years. Winners are awarded with a certificate, a medal, and a cash prize of ₹25 lakh. The selection committee set up by the sports ministry assesses contenders primarily based on their achievements over the last four years.
This year’s recipients include:
Manu Baker – Shooting
D. Mukesh – Chess
Harpreet Singh – Hockey
Praveen Kumar – Para-athletics
It is noted that some issues have arisen with Manu Baker’s candidacy before the announcement was made, as her name had first been excluded from any nominations or discussions regarding possible awardees. However, the government has now assured her acknowledgement after her excellent performance in the Paris Olympics, where she won two bronze medals.
The Arjun Award is such a glimpse into the sports sector, looking at the number of winners set to get this award in a year. The award got its inception in 1961 and was named after Arjun, the iconic figure in the epic Mahabharata. The award is presented to athletes for their excellent achievements in the field of sports. Furthermore, this year 32 athletes are expected to receive this award, which will include a certificate, a bronze statuette representing Arjun, and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh.
Some of this year’s Arjun Award winners are:
Jyoti Yaaraji (Athletics)
Annu Rani (Athletics)
Nitu (Boxing)
Sweets (Boxing)
Vantika Agarwal (Chess)
Salima Tete (Hockey), and others.
To acknowledge excellent coaches trained in international competitions, the Dron acharya Award honours the mentors who have helped these athletes win medals. The recipients of this year include the following:
Subhash Ran (Para-Shooting)
Deeply Dushanbe (Shooting)
Sandeep Sang wan (Hockey)
The Dron acharya Award was established in 1985 and is dedicated to Dron acharya, the figure from the Mahabharata who stands for exceptional teaching.
With the ongoing celebrations of athletic accomplishments through these awards, the government targets to motivate both the athletes and the coaches to pursue their excellence in every field.
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