Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award 2024:
The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports of the Government of India announced the National Sports Awards 2024 today (January 2). The winners will receive their honors from President Droupadi Murmu at a special ceremony on January 17, 2025 (Friday), at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Notably, four athletes have been chosen for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. Out of the 32 athletes receiving the Arjuna Award, an impressive 17 are para-athletes, setting a new record.
This year's Khel Ratna honor was bestowed upon Manu Bhaker and D Gukesh, among others. Apart from these two stars, 'Sarpanch Sahib' Captain Harmanpreet Singh from hockey and para-athlete Praveen Kumar also received the Khel Ratna Award. Additionally, the Arjuna Award was presented to para-athlete Navdeep, whose throw at the Paralympics made headlines.
No Cricket Names This Time
This year's Khel Ratna and Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awards surprisingly did not include any cricketers, which raised eyebrows. Additionally, no coaches from cricket were recognized. Last year, cricketer Mohammad Shami was graced with the Arjuna Award, and Illuri Ajay Kumar Reddy was awarded in blind cricket. The absence of cricket names this year has sparked numerous questions.
Recipients of the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024:
1. D Gukesh (Chess) 2. Harmanpreet Singh (Hockey) 3. Praveen Kumar (Para-athletics) 4. Manu Bhaker (Shooting)
Meet the 4 Athletes Awarded 'Khel Ratna'
1: Manu Bhaker:
Manu made her mark in the Paris Olympics by securing a podium finish in the 10-meter air pistol event and later teamed up with Sarabjot Singh to clinch another bronze in the 10-meter mixed team event, becoming India's first athlete to win two medals in a single session of this prestigious event.
2: D Gukesh:
Dommaraju Gukesh (D Gukesh) created history by becoming the youngest World Chess Champion at the tender age of 18, emerging as a new role model. He defeated China's Ding Liren in Singapore during the World Chess Championship, proving himself a formidable contender well before the decisive rounds.
Source: aajtak
3: Harmanpreet Singh:
With a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, 'Sarpanch Sahib' Harmanpreet Singh and his team demonstrated that their Tokyo Games success was not a mere fluke. Harmanpreet's 10 goals in Paris earned him the FIH Best Male Player of the Year award for the third consecutive time.
4: Praveen Kumar:
Para-athlete Praveen from Uttar Pradesh shattered the Asian record in the men's high jump-T64 event at the Paris Olympics 2024 to clinch the gold medal.
What Comes with Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards?
Recipients of the Khel Ratna Award receive a medal, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹2.5 million. Arjuna Awardees receive ₹1.5 million in cash, along with an Arjuna statuette and a certificate. Among lifetime recipients, Murlikant Petkar, India's first Paralympic gold medalist, was honored for his achievement in 50-meter freestyle swimming at the 1972 Paralympics. Petkar's inspiring story, highlighted by his resilience during the 1965 India-Pakistan war, was recently depicted in the film ‘Chandu Champion’.
Check Out the Arjuna Awardees
1. Jyothi Yarraji (Athletics) 2. Annu Rani (Athletics) 3. Neetu (Boxing) 4. Sweety (Boxing) 5. Vantika Agrawal (Chess) 6. Salima Tete (Hockey) 7. Abhishek (Hockey) 8. Sanjay (Hockey) 9. Jarmanpreet Singh (Hockey) 10. Sukhjeet Singh (Hockey)
11. Rakesh Kumar (Para Archery) 12. Preeti Pal (Para Athletics) 13. Jeevanjee Deepti (Para Athletics) 14. Ajit Singh (Para Athletics) 15. Sachin Sarjerao Khilari (Para Athletics) 16. Dharambir (Para Athletics) 17. Pranav Surma (Para Athletics) 18. H Hokato Sema (Para Athletics) 19. Simran Gee (Para Athletics) 20. Navdeep (Para Athletics) 21. Nitesh Kumar (Para Badminton) 22. Tulsimathi Murugesan (Para Badminton) 23. Nitya Shri Sumati Sivan (Para Badminton) 24. Manisha Ramdas (Para Badminton) 25. Kapil Parmar (Para Judo) 26. Mona Agrawal (Para Shooting) 27. Rubina Francis (Para Shooting)
28. Swapnil Suresh Kusale (Shooting) 29. Sarabjot Singh (Shooting) 30. Abhay Singh (Squash) 31. Sajan Prakash (Swimming) 32. Aman (Wrestling)
Lifetime Arjuna Awards for Excellence in Sports
1. Sucha Singh (Athletics) 2. Murlikant Rajaram Petkar (Para Swimming)
Dronacharya Awards (Regular Category)
1. Subhash Rana (Para Shooting) 2. Deepali Deshpande (Shooting) 3. Sandeep Sangwan (Hockey)
Dronacharya Awards (Lifetime Category)
1. S. Muralidharan (Badminton) 2. Armando Agnelo Colaco (Football)
National Sports Promotion Awards
1. Physical Education Foundation of India
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2024
1. Chandigarh University (Overall Winner University) 2. Lovely Professional University (1st Runner-Up University) 3. Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (2nd Runner-Up University)
