Manu Bhaker, Gukesh to receive Khel Ratna: All you need to know about award

Shooter Manu Bhaker, chess world champion D Gukesh, men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh, and para-athlete Praveen Kumar have been nominated to receive the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. 

At just 22, Bhaker made history by becoming the first athlete from independent India to secure two medals in a single Olympic Games, winning bronze in both the 10m air pistol individual and mixed team events in August. Meanwhile, Harmanpreet Singh captained the Indian men’s hockey team to a second consecutive bronze medal at the same Games.  Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award  The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is the highest sporting honour in India, awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It recognises outstanding achievements in sports over a period of four years, particularly in international competitions such as the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games. The award includes a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh  Brief history of the award  The award was established in 1991-1992, originally named the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award after India’s sixth Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. The first recipient was chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. Over the years, it has been awarded to numerous distinguished athletes from various sports disciplines, including cricket, hockey, badminton, and athletics. 

 

In February 2015, the criteria for receiving the award were revised to evaluate an athlete’s performance over four years instead of just one year. This change aimed to provide a more comprehensive assessment of an athlete’s contributions and achievements.  Renaming of the award  On August 6, 2021, the award was renamed to honour Major Dhyan Chand, a legendary Indian field hockey player known for his extraordinary skill and scoring prowess. Major Dhyan Chand is celebrated for his contributions to Indian hockey, having led the national team to three Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932, and 1936. 

The renaming came shortly after the Indian men’s hockey team won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, which sparked renewed interest in honouring Dhyan Chand’s contributions to the sport.  First recipient of the award  The first recipient of the Khel Ratna Award was Viswanathan Anand, India’s first chess grandmaster, who received the award in its inaugural year, 1991-92. Anand is celebrated for his significant contributions to chess and has also received India’s second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan.  Other recipients of the award  Since its inception, numerous distinguished athletes have been honoured with the Khel Ratna Award across various sports disciplines. Here are some notable recipients:  1991-92 Viswanathan Anand (Chess)          1992-93  Geet Sethi (Billiards)  1994-95  Karnam Malleswari (Weightlifting)  1996-97  Leander Paes (Tennis)  1997-98   Sachin Tendulkar (Cricket)            1998-99   Jyotirmoyee Sikdar (Athletics)            1999-2000 Dhanraj Pillay (Hockey)            2000-01 Pullela Gopichand (Badminton)          2001  Abhinav Bindra (Shooting)                2009 Mary Kom (Boxing)                  2016 Sakshi Malik (Wrestling)                  2020  Rani Rampal (Hockey)  In total, as of 2023, the award has been given to athletes from various disciplines, with shooting having the highest number of recipients (8), followed by freestyle wrestling (6) . The year 2021 marked a significant occasion when 12 athletes received the award, the highest number awarded in a single year.