The Khel Ratna Award officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting honour in India. It was formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
In 2021, Indian Government changed its name from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna after the Legendary Hockey player who was also known as the Magician of Hockey.
It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
The last National Sports Award ceremony was conducted in New Delhi on November 13, 2021, and conferred the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award to 12 athletes by the then President of India Ram Nath Kovind.
List of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awardees (1991 – 2021)
| Year | Athlete Name | Sport Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1991–1992 | Viswanathan Anand | Chess |
| 1992–1993 | Geet Sethi | Billiards |
| 1993–1994 | Homi Motivala | Yachting |
| 1993–1994 | Pushpendra Kumar Garg | Yachting |
| 1994–1995 | Karnam Malleswari | Weightlifting |
| 1995–1996 | Nameirakpam Kunjarani | Weightlifting |
| 1996–1997 | Leander Paes | Tennis |
| 1997–1998 | Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket |
| 1998–1999 | Jyotirmoyee Sikdar | Athletics |
| 1999–2000 | Dhanraj Pillay | Hockey |
| 2000–2001 | Pullela Gopichand | Badminton |
| 2001 | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting |
| 2002 | K. M. Beenamol | Athletics |
| 2002 | Anjali Bhagwat | Shooting |
| 2003 | Anju Bobby George | Athletics |
| 2004 | Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting |
| 2005 | Pankaj Advani | Billiards and Snooker |
| 2006 | Manavjit Singh Sandhu | Shooting |
| 2007 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Cricket |
| 2008 | No Award Given | |
| 2009 | Mary Kom | Boxing |
| 2009 | Vijender Singh | Boxing |
| 2009 | Sushil Kumar | Freestyle Wrestling |
| 2010 | Saina Nehwal | Badminton |
| 2011 | Gagan Narang | Shooting |
| 2012 | Vijay Kumar | Shooting |
| 2012 | Yogeshwar Dutt | Freestyle Wrestling |
| 2013 | Ronjan Sodhi | Shooting |
| 2014 | No Award Given | |
| 2015 | Sania Mirza | Tennis |
| 2016 | P. V. Sindhu | Badminton |
| 2016 | Dipa Karmakar | Gymnastics |
| 2016 | Jitu Rai | Shooting |
| 2016 | Sakshi Malik | Freestyle Wrestling |
| 2017 | Sardara Singh | Hockey |
| 2017 | Devendra Jhajharia | Paralympic Javelin |
| 2018 | Virat Kohli | Cricket |
| 2018 | Saikhom Mirabai Chanu | Weightlifting |
| 2019 | Deepa Malik | Paralympic (shot put, javelin0 |
| 2019 | Bajrang Punia | Freestyle Wrestling |
| 2020 | Rohit Sharma | Cricket |
| 2020 | Mariyappan Thangavelu | Paralympic high jump |
| 2020 | Manika Batra | Table Tennis |
| 2020 | Vinesh Phogat | Freestyle wrestling |
| 2020 | Rani Rampal | Hockey |
| 2021 | Neeraj Chopra | Athletics |
| 2021 | Ravi Kumar Dahiya | Freestyle Wrestling |
| 2021 | Lovlina Borgohain | Boxing |
| 2021 | P. R. Sreejesh | Hockey |
| 2021 | Avani Lekhara | Paralympic Shooting |
| 2021 | Sumit Antil | Para-athletics |
| 2021 | Pramod Bhagat | Para-badminton |
| 2021 | Krishna Nagar | Para-badminton |
| 2021 | Manish Narwal | Paralympic shooting |
| 2021 | Mithali Raj | Cricket |
| 2021 | Sunil Chhetri | Football |
| 2021 | Manpreet Singh | Hockey |
Some Glimpses of Award Cermeony
FAQ Related to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
1. When was the Khel Ratna Award instituted?
It was started in 1991-1992
2. What is the prize money of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna?
Answer: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award carries a medal, a citation and a cash prize of Rs.25 lakh. Till 2004-05, the cash amount in Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award was Rs.5,00,000/-. After that it was increased to Rs 7.5 lakh. On the occasion of National Sports Day on 29 August 2020, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju has increased it to Rs 25 lakh.
3. Who was the first winner of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award?
Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand (1991-92)
4. Who Gives Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna?
By President of India
5. Which ministry conducts the Khel Ratna Award?
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
6. Who is the youngest player to receive the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award?
In 2001, Abhinav Bindra, then aged 18, became the youngest recipient of the award in shooting.
7. Who is the oldest player to get Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna?
Deepa Malik (as in 2019 – 49 years old)
Malik, a silver medallist at the last Paralympics said:
“I am very happy because I have always stood up. This whole journey has been more about changing the attitude people towards disability and the hidden potential in people with disability. I think it’s going to come as a huge inspiration to women athletes in disability. It took 70 years for indepedent India to win Medal at Paralympic”
8. Who is the first para-athlete player to receive the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award?
Devendra Jhajharia
The Khel Ratna award, conferred each year, honours a sportsperson who displays excellence in talent, contribution, and dedication and who has the potential to inspire young people. By showing the victory of the human spirit against all obstacles, and finding meaning in life despite all challenges, they also serve as an inspiration to future generations. They have an infectious smile on their faces as they work toward success.
