Sports Awards in India – List of Complete Sports Awards Winners
It becomes very important for all of us to prepare for the general knowledge question if you are appearing for any government exams. There are a variety of fields that come under the section of general knowledge and sports are also among them. If you are preparing for any exam, your GK must be strongly advised because as per the latest trend, the questions related to static GK are asked more frequently. We all are very much aware that sports play a vital role in India and has become one of the main topics for competitive exams. For the same, let’s read the sports events and awards in India.
Sports Awards in India – Major Awards
The most important Sports Awards in India is given for the excellence of the sportsperson in sports. The major awards in the sports field are – Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, Dhyan Chand Award.
Sports Awards in India: Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
- This is the highest sports award in India given for the most outstanding performance in the field of sports.
- The recipients receive Rs. 7.5 lakhs in cash, a citation, and a medal.
- Initially, the government of India gave this award for outstanding performance in the field of sports for one year, but this duration was changed to four years in the year 2015.
- The government of India forms a committee of 12 members who evaluate the performance of a sportsperson.
- The evaluation is done for various international sporting events such as the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Paralympic Games.
- Once the committee arrives at a decision, they submit their recommendation to the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports for further approval.
Winners of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards
| Year | Name | Category |
| 1991-92 | Viswanathan Anand | Chess |
| 1992-93 | Geet Sethi | Billiards |
| 1994-95 | Cdr. Homi D. Motivala | Yachting |
| Lt. Cdr. P. K. Garg |
| 1995-96 | Karnam Malleswari | Weightlifting |
| 1996-97 | Nameirakpam Kunjarani | Weightlifting |
| Leander Paes | Tennis |
| 1997-98 | Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket |
| 1998-99 | Jyotirmoyee Sikdar | Athletics |
| 1999- 2000 | Dhanraj Pillay | Hockey |
| 2000-01 | Pullela Gopichand | Badminton |
| 2001-02 | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting |
| 2002-03 | Anjali Ved Pathak Bhagwat | Shooting |
| K. M. Beenamo | Athletics |
| 2003-04 | Anju Bobby George | Athletics |
| 2004-05 | Lt. co. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting |
| 2005-06 | Pankaj Advani | Billiards & Snooker |
| 2006-07 | Manavjit Singh Sandhu | Shooting |
| 2007-08 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Cricket |
| 2008-09 | Mary Kom | Boxing |
| Vijender Singh | Boxing |
| Sushil Kumar | Wrestling |
| 2009-10 | Saina Nehwal | Badminton |
| 2010-11 | Gagan Narang | Shooting |
| 2011-12 | Vijay Kumar | Shooting |
| Yogeshwar Dutt | Wrestling |
| 2012-13 | Ronjan Sodhi | Shooting |
| 2014-15 | Sania Mirza | Tennis |
| 2015-16 | P. V. Sindhu | Badminton |
| Sakshi Malik | Wrestling |
| Dipa Karmakar | Gymnastics |
| Jitu Rai | Shooting |
| 2016-17 | Devendra Jhajharia | Para Athlete |
| Sardara Singh | Hockey |
| 2017-18 | Virat Kohli | Cricket |
| Mirabai Chanu | Weightlifting |
| 2018-19 | Bajrang Punia | Wrestling |
| Deepa Malik | Athletics |
Sports Awards in India: Arjuna Award
- This award is given to a sportsperson who has consistently exhibited an outstanding performance for four years.
- All Arjuna Awardees receive a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs, a certificate, and statuettes.
- Arjuna award is one of the oldest sports awards in India. It was started in 1961 and it is conferred by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
- In 1981, Krishna Das was the first winner in the field of Archey.
- Meena Shah was the first woman who received an award for Badminton in 1962.
- Amar Singh was the first award for the Arjuna Award in 1975 for cycling.
Winners of Arjuna Awards- 2019
| S. No. | Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
| 1. | Ravindra Jadeja | Cricket |
| 2. | Mohammed Anas Yahiya | Athletics |
| 3. | Gurpreet Singh Sandhu | Football |
| 4. | Sonia Lather | Boxing |
| 5. | Chinglensana Singh Kangujam | Hockey |
| 6. | S Bhaskaran | Bodybuilding |
| 7. | Ajay Thakur | Kabaddi |
| 8. | Anjum Moudgil | Shooting |
| 9. | Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth | Badminton |
| 10. | Tajinder Pal Singh Toor | Athletics |
| 11. | Pramod Bhagat | Para Sports-Badminton |
| 12. | Harmeet Rajul Desai | Table Tennis |
| 13. | Pooja Dhanda | Wrestling |
| 14. | Fouaad Mirza | Equestrian |
| 15. | Simran Singh Shergill | Polo |
| 16. | Poonam Yadav | Cricket |
| 17. | Swapna Burman | Athletics |
| 18. | Sundar Singh Gurjar | Para Sports-Athletics |
| 19. | Gaurav Singh Gill | Motorsports |
Winners of Arjuna Awards- 2018
| S. No. | Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
| 1. | Shri Neeraj Chopra | Athletics |
| 2. | Naib Subedar Jinson Johnson | Athletics |
| 3. | Ms Hima Das | Athletics |
| 4. | Ms Nelakurthi Sikki Reddy | Badminton |
| 5. | Subedar Satish Kumar | Boxing |
| 6. | Ms Smriti Mandhana | Cricket |
| 7. | Shri Shubhankar Sharma | Golf |
| 8. | Shri Manpreet Singh | Hockey |
| 9. | Ms Savita | Hockey |
| 10. | Col. Ravi Rathore | Polo |
| 11. | Ms. Rahi Sarnobat | Shooting |
| 12. | Shri Ankur Mittal | Shooting |
| 13. | Ms Shreyasi Singh | Shooting |
| 14. | Ms. Manika Batra | Table Tennis |
| 15. | Shri G. Sathiyan | Table Tennis |
| 16. | Shri Rohan Bopanna | Tennis |
| 17. | Shri Sumit | Wrestling |
| 18. | Ms. Pooja Kadian | Wushu |
| 19. | Shri Ankur Dhama | Para-Athletics |
| 20. | Shri Manoj Sarkar | Para-Badminton |
Winners of Arjuna Awards 2017
| Name of the Awardees | Discipline |
| Ms V.J. Surekha | Archery |
| Ms Khushbir Kaur | Athletics |
| Mr Arokia Rajiv | Athletics |
| Ms Prasanthi Singh | Basketball |
| Sub. Laishram Devendro Singh | Boxing |
| Mr Cheteshwar Pujara | Cricket |
| Ms Harmanpreet Kaur | Cricket |
| Ms OinamBembem Devi | Football |
| Mr S.S.P. Chawrasia | Golf |
| Mr S.V. Sunil | Hockey |
| Mr Jasvir Singh | Kabaddi |
| Mr P. N. Prakash | Shooting |
| Mr A. Amalraj | Table Tennis |
| Mr Saketh Myneni | Tennis |
| Mr Satyawart Kadian | Wrestling |
| Mr Mariyappan | Para-Athlete |
| Mr Varun Singh Bhati | Para-Athlete |
Sports Awards in India: Dronacharya Award
- It is generally said that “Behind every successful man there is a woman”, one can also say that, “Behind every successful sportsperson there is a coach” Seeing the valuable contribution that coaches have in the sports field, the government of India decided to honour the coaches as well.
- The Dronacharya Award are those who have produced medal winners at prestigious international sports events.
- Dronacharya Award is offered a cash prize of 5 lakh, certificate, and statuette.
- O M Nambiar, Om Prakash Bharadwaj, and B B Bhagwat were the first to receive this award.
- The first awardee for chess in this category was Raghunandan V Gokhle in 1986.
- Hansa Sharma was the first woman to receive this award for weightlifting in 2000
Winners of Dronacharya Award 2019
| S. No. | Name of the Coach | Discipline |
| 1. | Mohinder Singh Dhillon (Regular Category) | Athletics |
| 2. | Sandeep Gupta (Regular Category) | Table Tennis |
| 3. | Vimal Kumar (Regular Category) | Badminton |
| 4. | Sanjay Bhardwaj (Lifetime Category) | Cricket |
| 5. | Ranbir Singh Khokar (Lifetime Category) | Kabaddi |
| 6. | Mezban Patel (Lifetime Category) | Hockey |
Winners of Dronacharya Award 2018
| S. No. | Name of the Coach | Discipline |
| 1. | Subedar Chenanda Achaiah Kuttappa | Boxing |
| 2. | Shri Vijay Sharma | Weightlifting |
| 3. | Shri A. Srinivasa Rao | Table Tennis |
| 4. | Shri Sukhdev Singh Pannu | Athletics |
| 5. | Shri Clarence Lobo | Hockey (Lifetime) |
| 6. | Shri Tarak Sinha | Cricket (Lifetime) |
| 7. | Shri Jiwan Kumar Sharma | Judo (Lifetime) |
| 8. | Shri V.R. Beedu | Athletics (Lifetime) |
Winners of Dronacharya Awards 2017
| Name of the Awardees | Discipline |
| Late Dr R. Gandhi | Athletics |
| Mr Heera Nand Kataria | Kabaddi |
| Mr G.S.S.V. Prasad | Badminton (Lifetime) |
| Mr Brij Bhushan Mohanty | Boxing (Lifetime) |
| Mr P.A. Raphel | Hockey (Lifetime) |
| Mr Sanjoy Chakraverthy | Shooting (Lifetime) |
| Mr Roshan Lal | Wrestling (Lifetime) |
Sports Awards in India: Dyanchand Award
- The Dyanchand Award is given for lifetime contributions to sports development.
- This award is named after Major Dhyan Chand, an Indian hockey player who scored over 1000 goals during a career span of over 20 years.
- Dyanchand Awardees are offered a cash prize of 5 lakh, certificate and statuette.
- It was started in 2002 and it is conferred by the memory of Hockey Legend Dhyan Chand.
- Aparna Ghosh was the first to receive this award in 2002.
- Shamsher Singh is the only person who has received this award in the category of kabaddi in 2007.
- The only person to receive an award in Billiards and Snooker was Manoj Kothari in 2005.
Winners of Dhyan Chand Awards 2019
| S. No. | Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
| 1. | Manoj Kumar | Wrestling |
| 2. | C Lalremsanga | Archery |
| 3. | Arup Basak | Table Tennis |
| 4. | Nitten Kirrtane | Tennis |
| 5. | Manuel Fredricks | Hockey |
Winners of Dhyan Chand Awards 2018
| S. No. | Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
| 1. | Shri Satyadev Prasad | Archery |
| 2. | Shri Bharat Kumar Chetri | Hockey |
| 3. | Ms Bobby Aloysius | Athletics |
| 4. | Shri Chougale Dadu Dattatray | Wrestling |
Winners of Dhyan Chand Awards 2017
| Name of the Awardees | Discipline |
| Mr Bhupender Singh | Athletics |
| Mr Syed Shahid Hakim | Football |
| Ms Sumarai Tete | Hockey |
