The distribution of National Sports Awards 2024 by the Ministry of Sports is going on at Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Draupadi Murmu felicitating the winners. Olympic double medalist shooter Manu Bhakar, world chess champion D Gukesh, hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and para athlete Praveen Kumar were honored with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
Apart from this, 5 coaches will get Dronacharya Award, out of which 2 are for lifetime achievement. The Arjuna Award will be given to 34 athletes, of which 17 are para-athletes, while 2 are for lifetime achievement. The award ceremony will be held on January 17 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Manu won a double medal at the Paris Olympics
Manu Bhakar won a double Olympic medal at the Paris Olympic Games in August–September. She finished third in 10m air pistol individual and mixed doubles. Based on his two medals, India won a total of 6 medals at the Paris Olympics.
18-year-old Gukesh is the new World Chess Champion, the youngest to win the title
18-year-old Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh won the World Chess Championship title in Singapore on 11 December. He defeated defending champion Ding Liren of China 7.5-6.5 in the final. Gukesh became the first player in the world to win the title at such a young age. Earlier in 1985, Russia's Garry Kasparov won this title at the age of 22.
Under the captaincy of Harmanpreet, India won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics
Under the captaincy of Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian hockey team won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 and a gold medal at the Asian Games 2022. At the same time, Harmanpreet has won the Player of the Year title at the FIH Awards thrice.
Praveen won the Paralympic gold with a record in the high jump
Praveen Kumar stunned everyone by winning the gold medal in men's high jump at the Paris Paralympics 2024 with an Asian record. Praveen, a silver medalist at the Tokyo Paralympics, produced a career-best performance in the T64 event and made history by clearing a height of 2.08m.
Complete list of national awards
National Sports Award
The National Sports Award is given for significant contribution in the field of sports in India. In this, players, coaches or organizations are honored with six different awards for their achievements and contribution to the development of Indian sports.
The National Sports Awards of India consist of six awards. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (also known as Maka Trophy) and National Sports Promotion. Apart from this, another lifetime award is given in the name of Dhyan Chand Award. The award is given for lifetime contribution to the development of sports. This time no one has been given this award in this category.
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award has been given since 2004 along with six National Sports Awards.
Last year, 26 players received the Arjuna Award
Last year, 26 players, including cricketer Mohammad Shami, received the Arjuna Award. While 5 coaches received Dronacharya Award. Badminton star duo Satvik Sairaj and Chirag Shetty were conferred the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
Image Credit: Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).