A look at all the sports awards given in India
It is a dream of every player to make his/her nation proud at the highest level. In India, Sports Ministry felicitates those players every year who have performed extraordinarily in their field of sport. These awards are given to boost the morale of the player so that he/she can perform even better in future tournaments.These awards are given to recognize the achievements of players on National Sports Day which is celebrated on 29th August i.e on the birth date of the Indian Hockey maestro Dhyanchand. The awards are given at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi by the President of India.So let’s have a look at the awards and few notable players who have achieved these awards:-
#1 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. Khel Ratna in hindi term means "sports prodigy."
The awards which were named after late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi are awarded to individual sportspersons or a sports team giving the most spectacular and outstanding performance in sports disciplines from 1st April to 31st March.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (RGKR) awards were first awarded in the year 1991-92 and the first player to receive this award was the Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. No player can receive this award more than once in his lifetime.
RGKR award includes a cash prize of Rs 750,000, a medal, a scroll of honour and a blazer. Nominations are sent by various sports bodies like Sports Authority of India, state governments, national sports federations etc on or before 31st May.
The person or the team receiving this award is finalised by the Sports Ministry of India.
FACTS
First winner- Viswanathan Anand for Chess (1991-92)
First team to win this award - Homi D motivala and P.K Garg for Yachting(1994-95)
Three players (most) won this award in 2008-09 - Mary Kom(Boxing), Vijender Singh(Boxing) and Sushil Kumar (Wrestling).
Recent awardee - Ronjan Singh Sodhi for Shooting (2012-13)
Youngest awardee - Saina Nehwal for Badminton at the age of 20 (2009-2010).
No player won this award last year