National Sports Day: In India, National Sports Day is observed on 29th August every year to commemorate the birthday of Indian hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. This day marks the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand Singh, the hockey player who won gold medals in Olympics for India in the years 1928, 1932 and 1936. He scored 570 goals in his career, from 1926 – 1949.
National Sports Day
Sports are important for the physical and mental well-being of humans. Individuals who play sports remain healthy. India has produced many sporting legends like PT Usha, also known as Udanpari, Sachin Tendulkar, also known as Master Blaster, and Major Dhyan Chand, also known as ‘Hockey Wizard’.
National Sports Day was included in the list of celebratory days in India for the first time in 2012. Over the years, the government has also used this day as a platform to launch various sports schemes, including the Khelo India movement, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.
But there’s more. The National Sports Day is also an occasion that sees the nation honour its sporting heroes with recognitions like the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award (formerly called the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna), Arjuna Award, Dhyan Chand Award and the Dronacharya Award.
The six core awards distributed on National Sports Day which constitute India’s National Sports Awards are the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award or simply the Khel Ratna, the Arjuna Award, the Dronacharya Award, the Major Dhyan Chand Award, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy, also called the MAKA Trophy, and the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar.
Since 2004, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award has also been given out along with the six National Sports Awards, making it an informal part of the list.
The National Sports 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, generally on India’s National Sports Day – August 29 – which marks the birthday of Indian hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
| National Sports awards in India | Awarded For |
| Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ( Highest ) | Awarded for outstanding performances in sports spanning over a period of four years. |
| Arjuna Award ( 2nd Highest ) | Given out for consistent good performance over a period of four years. |
| Dronacharya Award ( 3rd Highest ) | It is awarded to coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international events. |
| Major Dhyan Chand Award | Presented for good performance and contributing towards the promotion of sports. |
| Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy | Given to the university for top performance in inter-university tournaments over the last one year. |
| Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar | Awarded to organisations and individuals for playing a role in the area of sports promotion and development over the last three years. |
| Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award | To recognise outstanding achievements in the field of adventure activities or sports on land, sea and air. |
At a special ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President of India takes this day to confer these national sports awards.
Dhyan Chand
Major Dhyan Chand (29 August 1905 – 3 December 1979) was an Indian field hockey player, regarded by many as the greatest field hockey player in history. He was known for his extraordinary ball control and goal-scoring feats, in addition to earning three Olympic gold medals, in 1928, 1932 and 1936, during an era where India dominated field hockey. His influence extended beyond these victories, as India won the field hockey event in seven out of eight Olympics from 1928 to 1964.
| Name | Major Dhyan Chand |
| Birth Name | Dhyan Singh |
| Nick Name | The Wizard, The Magician |
| Date of Birth | 29th August 1905 |
| Birth Place | Allahabad, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India ( (present-day Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India) |
| Mother | Sharadha Singh |
| Father | Sameshwar Singh ( Hockey player in British Indian Army ) |
| Brothers | Mool Singh and Roop Singh ( Roop Singh was also an Indian hockey player |
| Education | Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh . Graduate from Victoria College, Gwalior in 1932 |
| Died | 3 December 1979 (aged 74) ( All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India ) |
| Years of Service in British Indian Army and Indian Army | 1922–1956 |
| Height | 169 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
| Playing position | Centre forward |
| Indian National Hockey Team | 1926–1949 |
| Matches | 185 |
| Goals | 570 |
| Olympic Games | |
| GOLD – 1928 | Amsterdam |
| GOLD – 1932 | Los Angeles |
| GOLD – 1936 | Berlin |
| India’s third highest civilian honour | Padma Bhushan |
Known as The Wizard or The Magician of hockey for his superb ball control, Chand played internationally from 1926 to 1949, where he scored 570 goals in 185 matches according to his autobiography, Goal, and over 1000 goals in his entire domestic and international career. BBC called him the “hockey’s equivalent of Muhammad Ali”. The Government of India awarded Chand India’s third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan in 1956. His birthday, 29 August, is celebrated as National Sports Day in India every year. India’s highest sporting honour, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (formerly called the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award) is named after him.
After 34 years of service, Chand retired from the Indian Army on 29 August 1956 as a lieutenant (acting captain). The Government of India honoured him the same year by conferring him the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour.
After retirement, he taught at coaching camps at Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Later, he accepted the position of Chief Hockey Coach at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, a post he held for several years. Chand spent his last days in his hometown of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Chand died on 3 December 1979 from liver cancer at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. He was cremated at the Jhansi Heroes ground in his hometown, after some initial problems in getting clearance. His regiment, the Punjab Regiment, accorded him full military honours.
The 20th National Award, 2012, the Gem of India, awarded by the Union Minister of India, was given to Dhyan Chand. The award was received by Dhyan Chand’s son, Ashok Dhyan Chand (a hockey Olympian in his own right), on behalf of his deceased father. The award was given by Journalist Association of India under the flagship of Journalists Federation of India, Sirifort Auditorium, New Delhi, India, on 22 September 2012.
India’s highest award for lifetime achievement in sports is the Dhyan Chand Award which has been awarded annually since 2002 to sporting figures who not only contribute through their performance but also contribute to the sport after their retirement. The National Stadium, Delhi was renamed Dhyan Chand National Stadium in 2002 in his honour.
BBC called him the “hockey’s equivalent of Muhammad Ali”.
An Astroturf hockey pitch, at the Indian Gymkhana Club in London, has been named after Indian hockey legend Dhyan Chand.
He remains the only Indian hockey player to have a stamp in his honour.
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is named after him to honour his contribution to Indian sports by Government Of India (GOI). Sports ministry every year give this award annual to India’s best performer on International level championships.
Dhyan Chand award, A lifetime achievement award named after Dhyan chand.
National Sports awards in India
Khel Ratna Award or Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ( Highest sports award for excellent performance on International level competitions )
Khel Ratna Award or Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting honour of India . It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
The recipient(s) is/are selected by a committee constituted by the Ministry and is honoured for their “spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years” at international level. As of 2020, the award comprises a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹25 lakh (US$31,000).
First awarded – 1992
Initially it was given based on the performance every year.
Since 2015, it is being given based on the performance over a period of four years.
A twelve-member committee evaluates the performances of a sportsperson at various International events which include the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. The committee later submits their recommendations to the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports for further approval. The award from 1991-2021 was named after Rajiv Gandhi (1944-1991) as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the 6th Prime Minister of India.
The award since August 6, 2021 is named after Major Dhyan Chand.
1st recipient of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award was chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand in 1991-92. The first recipient of the award Viswanathan Anand is the country’s first chess Grandmaster and a five-time winner of World Chess Championship.
In 2001, sport shooter Abhinav Bindra, then aged 18, became the youngest recipient of the award.
As of 2022, there have been 58 recipients across sixteen sport disciplines: athletics, badminton, billiards, boxing, chess, cricket, field hockey, football, gymnastics, para-athletics, para-badminton, para-shooting, shooting, snooker, table tennis, tennis, wrestling, weightlifting, and yacht racing.
Pankaj Advani is the only sportsperson to have won the award for two sports disciplines: billiards and snooker.
In 2019, 4 sports personalities received this award.
Rohit Sharma (Cricket)
Mariyappan Thangavelu (Para-athletics)
Manika Batra (Table tennis)
Vinesh Phogat (Wrestling)
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awardees
| List of award recipients, showing the year, and discipline(s) | ||
| Year | Recipient(s) | Discipline(s) |
| 1991–1992 | Viswanathan Anand | Chess |
| 1992–1993 | Geet Sethi | Billiards |
| 1993–1994 | Homi Motivala | Yachting (Team event) |
| Pushpendra Kumar Garg | Yachting (Team event) | |
| 1994–1995 | Karnam Malleswari | Weightlifting |
| 1995–1996 | Nameirakpam Kunjarani | Weightlifting |
| 1996–1997 | Leander Paes | Tennis |
| 1997–1998 | Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket |
| 1998–1999 | Jyotirmoyee Sikdar | Athletics |
| 1999–2000 | Dhanraj Pillay | Hockey |
| 2000–2001 | Pullela Gopichand | Badminton |
| 2001 | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting |
| 2002 | K. M. Beenamol | Athletics |
| Anjali Bhagwat | Shooting | |
| 2003 | Anju Bobby George | Athletics |
| 2004 | Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting |
| 2005 | Pankaj Advani | Billiards and Snooker |
| 2006 | Manavjit Singh Sandhu | Shooting |
| 2007 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Cricket |
| 2008 | No award[d] | |
| 2009 | Mary Kom | Boxing |
| Vijender Singh | Boxing | |
| Sushil Kumar | Freestyle wrestling | |
| 2010 | Saina Nehwal | Badminton |
| 2011 | Gagan Narang | Shooting |
| 2012 | Vijay Kumar | Shooting |
| Yogeshwar Dutt | Freestyle wrestling | |
| 2013 | Ronjan Sodhi | Shooting |
| 2014 | No award | |
| 2015 | Sania Mirza | Tennis |
| 2016 | P. V. Sindhu | Badminton |
| Dipa Karmakar | Gymnastics | |
| Jitu Rai | Shooting | |
| Sakshi Malik | Freestyle wrestling | |
| 2017 | Devendra Jhajharia | Paralympic javelin |
| Sardara Singh | Hockey | |
| 2018 | Saikhom Mirabai Chanu | Weightlifting |
| Virat Kohli | Cricket | |
| 2019 | Deepa Malik | Paralympic (shot put, javelin, others) |
| Bajrang Punia | Freestyle wrestling | |
| 2020 | Rohit Sharma | Cricket |
| Mariyappan Thangavelu | Paralympic high jump | |
| Manika Batra | Table tennis | |
| Vinesh Phogat | Freestyle wrestling | |
| Rani Rampal | Hockey | |
| 2021 | Neeraj Chopra | Athletics |
| Ravi Kumar Dahiya | Freestyle wrestling | |
| Lovlina Borgohain | Boxing | |
| P. R. Sreejesh | Hockey | |
| Avani Lekhara | Paralympic shooting | |
| Sumit Antil | Para-athletics | |
| Pramod Bhagat | Para-badminton | |
| Krishna Nagar | Para-badminton | |
| Manish Narwal | Paralympic shooting | |
| Mithali Raj | Cricket | |
| Sunil Chhetri | Football | |
| Manpreet Singh | Hockey | |
| 2022 | Sharath Kamal | Table tennis |
Arjuna Award
Named after Arjuna, the main protagonist from the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, the Arjuna Award was set up in 1961. It was India’s highest sporting honour before the Khel Ratna came into being. Given out for consistent good performance over a period of four years, the winners of the Arjuna Award receive a statuette of Arjuna, a certificate and a cash prize.
India’s football Olympian PK Banerjee was among the 20 recipients of the Arjuna Award in its inaugural edition in 1961. Hockey player Anna Lumsden was the first woman to win the Arjuna Award.
As per current rules, a Khel Ratna winner cannot be nominated for the Arjuna Award. However, an Arjuna winner can be nominated for the Khel Ratna.
Dronacharya Award
The Dronacharya Award, instituted in 1985, is India’s highest sports honour for coaches. It is awarded to individuals for producing medal winners at prestigious international events.
Interestingly, Dronacharya or Drona was Arjuna’s guru or coach in the Mahabharata. Awardees receive a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate and a cash prize.
Wrestling coach Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat, boxing mentor Om Prakash Bharadwaj and legendary athletics coach OM Nambiar, credited for moulding Indian sprint queen PT Usha’s career, were among the first Dronacharya Award winners.
The first woman to win the Dronacharya Award was athletics coach Renu Kohli in 2002.
The Dronacharya Award is given out for both recent accomplishments and lifetime contributions.
Major Dhyan Chand Award
Another award named after India’s hockey magician Dhyan Chand, the Major Dhyan Chand Award represents India’s highest honour for lifetime achievements in sports.
Presented for good performance and contributing towards the promotion of sports in an individual capacity since 2002, the winners get a Dhyan Chand statuette, a certificate and a cash prize.
Olympian boxer Shahuraj Birajdar, Indian men’s hockey team player Ashok Diwan and Aparna Ghosh, an accomplished player and coach with the Indian women’s basketball team, were the first recipients of the Major Dhyan Chand Award.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy
The oldest National Sports Awards in India, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy or the MAKA Trophy was instituted in 1956–1957.
Named in honour of Indian freedom fighter and the country’s first education minister Abul Kalam Azad, the award is given to the university for top performance in inter-university tournaments over the last one year.
Bombay University claimed the inaugural award but since then, the Guru Nanak Dev University from Amritsar, Punjab, has dominated the winners’ list, clinching 22 of the 64 awards given out. The reward comprises a rolling MAKA Trophy, that gets passed on to the winner each year, and a cash prize.
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar
Awarded to organisations or corporates (both private and public) and individuals for playing a role in the area of sports promotion and development over the last three years, the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar has been a fixture in the National Sports Awards list since 2009.
The name of the award, translated from Hindi to English, means National Sports Promotion Award.
Nominees are decided in four different segments – identification and nurturing of budding and young talent, encouragement to sports through corporate social responsibility, employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures, and sports for development.
Winners from each category get a citation and a trophy. There can be multiple winners in a single category in a year.
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
Tenzing Norgay, an Indian of Nepali origin, and Kiwi mountaineer Edmund Hillary were the first two men to scale Mount Everest – the world’s highest peak.
Established in Norgay’s memory in the year 1994, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award seeks to recognise outstanding achievements in the field of adventure activities or sports on land, sea and air. Activities like mountaineering, skydiving, open water swimming and sailing are considered.
The adventure sports equivalent of the Arjuna Award, the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure awards have been conferred alongside the six core national awards since 2004. Before the award was established, accomplishments in adventure sports were also honoured with the Arjuna Award.
Typically, the award is divided into four categories each year – land adventure, water (sea) adventure, air adventure and lifetime achievement.
| Sports awards in India | Established | Award |
| Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award ( Players ) | 1991-92 | “a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹25 lakh (US$31,000)” |
| Arjuna Award ( Players ) | 1961 | “a bronze statuette of Arjuna, certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh (US$19,000).” |
| Dronacharya Award ( Coaches producing international medal winners ) | 1985 | “a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh (US$19,000)” |
| Major Dhyan Chand Award | 2002 | a Dhyan Chand statuette, a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of ₹10 lakh (US$13,000)” |
| Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy ( “top performance in the inter-university tournaments” over the period of the last one year. ) | 1956–1957 | Only trophy |
| Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar ( organizations (both private and public) and individuals for “playing a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development” over the period of last three years ) | 2009 | Only trophy |
| Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award | 1993–1994, | the award comprises “a bronze statuette of Tenzing Norgay along with a cash prize of ₹15 lakh (US$19,000).” |