Awards in Sports (India & International) | General Knowledge for Young Learners - Class 1 PDF Download

Awards in Sports

National Sports Awards of India

There are four major national sports awards:

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

(Previously known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award)

• Introduced in 1991–92
• Renamed in 2021 to honour Major Dhyan Chand
• Considered the highest sporting honour in India

Awarded for:

• The most outstanding and consistent performance by an individual sportsperson over the last four years at the international level

Components of the Award:

• A medal or trophy
• A scroll of honour (certificate)
• A cash prize of ₹25 lakhs

Notable Recipients:

• Abhinav Bindra – India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist (Shooting)
• P. V. Sindhu – Olympic silver and bronze medalist (Badminton)
• M. S. Dhoni – Cricket World Cup-winning captain
• Neeraj Chopra – Olympic gold medalist (Javelin Throw)

Arjuna Award

• Introduced in 1961
• Considered the second-highest sporting award in India

Awarded for:

• Consistent outstanding performance for at least four years in national and international events

Components of the Award:

• A bronze statuette of Arjuna (the legendary archer from Mahabharata)
• A scroll of honour (certificate)
• A cash prize of ₹15 lakhs

Notable Recipients:

• Mary Kom – Six-time World Champion (Boxing)
• Virat Kohli – Former Indian cricket team captain
• Saina Nehwal – Olympic medalist (Badminton)
• Deepa Malik – Paralympic medalist (Athletics)

Dronacharya Award

• Introduced in 1985
• Awarded to coaches who have trained athletes or teams that achieved outstanding success in international competitions such as the Olympics, Asian Games, and World Championships

Components of the Award:

• A statuette of Dronacharya (legendary teacher from Mahabharata)
• A scroll of honour
• A cash prize of ₹15 lakhs

Notable Recipients:

• Pullela Gopichand – Badminton coach of P. V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal
• Balachandra Bhaskar Bhagwat – Boxing coach

Dhyan Chand Award

• Introduced in 2002
• Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports
• Awarded to retired sportspersons for their contribution to sports both during their career and in promoting sports after retirement

Notable Recipients:

• Kapil Dev – World Cup-winning cricket captain (1983)
• Ashok Kumar – Former Indian hockey player

International Sports Awards and Tournaments

International awards and tournaments celebrate the best athletes, teams, and performances across the globe.

Laureus World Sports Awards

• Started in 2000
• Often referred to as the "Oscars of Sports"
• Awarded annually for exceptional achievements in sports

Main Categories:

• World Sportsman of the Year
• World Sportswoman of the Year
• Team of the Year
• Breakthrough of the Year
• Comeback of the Year

Notable Winners:

• Usain Bolt – Multiple Olympic gold medalist (Athletics)
• Lionel Messi – Football legend
• Naomi Osaka – Tennis star

Ballon d’Or

• Instituted in 1956 by France Football magazine
• Awarded annually to the best male and female football players in the world

Notable Winners:

• Lionel Messi – Record 8-time winner
• Cristiano Ronaldo – 5-time winner

Olympic Medals

• The highest recognition for athletes competing in the Olympic Games
• Held every four years (Summer and Winter editions)
• Medals are awarded in three categories: Gold, Silver, Bronze

India’s Notable Achievements:

• Abhinav Bindra – Gold in Shooting (2008)
• Neeraj Chopra – Gold in Javelin Throw (2020)
• P. V. Sindhu – Silver and Bronze in Badminton (2016, 2020)
• Indian Men’s Hockey Team – 8 Olympic gold medals

FIFA Awards

• Awarded annually by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)

Categories include:

• Best Men’s Player
• Best Women’s Player
• Puskás Award for best goal

ICC Awards (Cricket)

• Instituted by the International Cricket Council

Categories include:

• ICC Cricketer of the Year
• ICC Test Player of the Year
• ICC ODI Player of the Year
• ICC T20 Player of the Year

Famous Winners:

• Virat Kohli – Multiple-time winner
• Babar Azam – Pakistan captain and leading run-scorer

Tour de France (Cycling)

• The most prestigious cycling tournament in the world
• Conducted annually in France (and sometimes neighbouring countries)
• Covers approximately 3,500 km over three weeks
• Winners receive the Yellow Jersey and international recognition

Notable Champions:

• Eddy Merckx – Five-time winner
• Tadej Pogačar – Two-time winner

Wimbledon (Tennis)

• The oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament, held annually in London since 1877
• Played on grass courts
• Part of the four Grand Slam tournaments

Notable Champions:

• Roger Federer – 8-time winner
• Serena Williams – 7-time winner

Other Prestigious Tournaments

• FIFA World Cup – International football championship held every four years
• Cricket World Cup – Organized by ICC every four years
• Asian Games – Multi-sport event held every four years among Asian nations
• Commonwealth Games – Multi-sport event held every four years for Commonwealth nations
• Tour of Italy (Giro d’Italia) – Major cycling event after Tour de France
• US Open, French Open, Australian Open – Other Grand Slam tennis tournaments

Importance of Sports Awards

• Motivate athletes to achieve higher performance
• Recognize dedication, discipline, and contribution to sports
• Inspire the younger generation to take up sports
• Bring pride and honour to the country
• Promote sports as a career and encourage fair play