Olympic Medalists Manu Bhaker, D Gukesh Among National Sports Award Winners
Thursday Among the honorees for the prestigious ‘Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna’ award are Olympic medalist shooter Manu Bhaker, world chess champion D Gukesh, hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, who led the team to an Olympic bronze medal, and Paralympic gold medalist high jumper Praveen Kumar.The Arjuna Award list features 32 athletes, including 17 para-athletes, highlighting their remarkable achievements. Manu Bhaker made history by becoming the first Indian shooter to win two bronze medals in a single Olympic edition. Harmanpreet Singh secured his second consecutive Olympic bronze in hockey, cementing his legacy in the sport. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Gukesh made headlines as the youngest-ever winner of the World Chess Championship and played a pivotal role in India’s gold medal victory at the Chess Olympiad. Praveen Kumar, a talented para-high jumper, achieved a remarkable milestone by winning the gold medal in the T-64 category at the Paris Paralympics.
President Draupadi Murmu will present the National Sports Awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the 17th of this month. The Khel Ratna awardees will receive a cash prize of ₹25 lakh, while the Arjuna Award winners will be honored with a trophy and recognition for their exceptional contributions to Indian sports.
India’s 2024 National Sports Awards Announced
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award:
This year, the prestigious Khel Ratna Award will be given to D Gukesh (Chess), Harmanpreet Singh (Hockey), Praveen Kumar (Para Athletics), and Manu Bhaker (Shooting).
Arjuna Awards:
The Arjuna Awards list for 2024 includes exceptional athletes like Jyothi Yarraji and Annu Rani (Athletics), Nitu and Sweety (Boxing), Vantika Agrawal (Chess), and Salima Tete, Abhishek, Sanjay, Jarmanpreet Singh, and Sukhjeet Singh (Hockey). It also honors para-athletes such as Rakesh Kumar (Para Archery), Preeti Pal, Jeevanjot Deepthi, Ajit Singh, Sachin Sarjerao Khilari, Dharamveer, Pranav Surama, H. Hokathe Sema, Simran, Navdeep, and Tulsi Mathi Murugesan (Para Athletics).
Other para-athletes include Nitesh Kumar, Nithya Sre Sumathi, and Manisha Ramdas (Para Badminton), Kapil Parmar (Para Judo), Mona Agrawal and Rubina Francis (Para Shooting). From conventional sports, Swarnpreet Surekha Kusale, Sarabjot Singh (Shooting), Abhay Singh (Squash), Sajan Prakash (Swimming), and Aman Sehrawat (Wrestling) are also being recognized.
Lifetime Achievement Arjuna Awards:
Athletes like Sucha Singh (Athletics) and Muralikant Rajaram Petkar (Para Swimming) are being honored for their lifetime contributions to sports.
Dronacharya Awards:
Coaches Subhash Rana (Para Shooting), Deepali Deshpande (Shooting), and Sandeep Sangwan (Hockey) are among the recipients.
The Lifetime Dronacharya Award will go to S. Muralidharan (Badminton) and Armando Agnelo Colaco (Football).
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award:
The Physical Education Foundation of India will receive the National Sports Promotion Award for its efforts in advancing sports across the country.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy:
The MAKA Trophy this year is being awarded to Chandigarh University (Winner), Lovely Professional University (First Runner-Up), and Guru Nanak Dev University (Second Runner-Up).
These awards will be presented at a grand ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, will honor the winners.
