National Sports Award Ceremony in India Today: 38 players have received Khel Ratna

Due to Corona, this time the National Sports Awards will be given in a virtual manner. This will be the first time that there will be no award ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of National Sports Day. This year President Ramnath Kovind will award 74 players and coaches in 7 different categories. Only 60 people will be present in it. For the first time five players will get Khel Ratna simultaneously. A total of 38 players have received this award so far.

This time five players including cricketer Rohit Sharma will be given the Khel Ratna. It includes women wrestler Vinesh Phogat, table tennis player Manika Batra, women’s hockey team captain Rani Rampal and 2016 Paralympic Gold Medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu.

Read Also: National Sports Day 2020 in India: Know it’s History and Significance

Four years ago, four players received Khel Ratna

Earlier, 4 players received this award together in 2016. Then PV Sindhu, who won silver in Rio Olympics, PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik, who won bronze in women’s wrestling, received this honor. Apart from these, gymnast Deepa Karmakar and shooter Jeetu also received the country’s biggest sports award. In 2009, 3 players boxer MC Mary Kom, Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar were awarded the Khel Ratna.

Two players have received Khel Ratna

Five times, two players have received Khel Ratna Award on five occasions. Weightlifter Kunjarani Devi and tennis player Leander Paes first received this award in 1997. 6 years later in 2003, shooter Anjali Bhagwat and athlete K. Binamol received the country’s largest sports award.

In 2012, shooter Vijay Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt became the players to receive this honor. Two years later, two players Devendra Jhajharia and Sardar Singh were elected Khel Ratna. Last year, Para Athlete Deepa Malik and Wrestler Bajrang Punia were honored with this award.

Read Also: Dhyan Chand Birth Anniversary: India is celebrated as National Sports Day

Rohit will be the fourth cricketer to receive the Khel Ratna award

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award was instituted in 1991 and the first award was won by Chase player Vishwanath Anand. Since then, 38 players have received this honor. Rohit Sharma is the fourth cricketer in this. Before him, Sachin Tendulkar (1997), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2007) and Virat Kohli (2018) have received this award.

Vinesh Khel Ratna, the fifth wrestler to receive gold in the Commonwealth and Asian Games this year, Vinesh Phogat, the first woman wrestler in the country, will also receive the Khel Ratna. But due to Corona, she will not be able to attend the virtual award ceremony. Vinesh is the fifth wrestler to receive this award.

Before them, Olympic medalists Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt and Sakshi Malik have received the Khel Ratna. Apart from these, Bajrang Poonia has also been awarded this award last year. Manika Batra will be the first table tennis player to be awarded the Khel Ratna.

29th August being celebrated as Sports Day

In 2012, the central government decided to celebrate August 29 as Sports Day. This day marks the birthday of hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand. He was born on 29 August 1905 in Allahabad.

He was the highest goalscorer for India at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. Dhyan Chand had then scored 14 goals. India defeated America 24–1 in the 1932 Olympic final. In that match Dhyan Chand had scored 8 goals. His brother Roop Singh also scored 10 goals.

List of National Sports Award recipients this year

These 27 players will get Arjuna Award

Dronacharya Award (Life Time Category)

List of Dronacharya Regular Category Award

Yogesh Malviya (Malkhamb), Jaspal Rana (shooting), Kuldeep Kumar Handu (Wushu) and Gaurav Khanna (Para Badminton).