Back মেজৰ ধ্যান চান্দ খেলৰত্ন বঁটা Assamese খেল রত্ন পুরস্কার Bengali/Bangla Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna German मेजर ध्यानचंद खेल रत्न पुरस्कार Hindi Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna ID ಮೇಜರ್ ಧ್ಯಾನ್ಚಂದ್ ಖೇಲ್ ರತ್ನ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ Kannada 라지브 간디 켈 라트나 Korean राजीव गान्धी खेल रत्न MAI ഖേൽരത്ന പുരസ്കാരം Malayalam मेजर ध्यान चंद खेलरत्न पुरस्कार Marathi
| Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award | |
|---|---|
| Highest sporting honour of the Republic of India | |
 Virat Kohli receiving Khel Ratna Award in 2018 | |
| Awarded for | Sporting excellence |
| Sponsored by | Government of India |
| Venue | Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi |
| Country | India |
| Presented by | President of India |
| Eligibility | Indian sportsperson |
| Hosted by | Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports |
| Formerly called | Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (1992–2021) |
| Reward(s) | ₹25 lakh (US$29,000) and a medallion |
| Status | In force |
| Established | 1992 |
| First award | 1991–92 |
| Final award | 2024 |
| Most recent winner | |
| Highlights | |
| Total awarded | 62 |
| First winner | Viswanathan Anand |
| Precedence | |
| Next (lower) | Arjuna Award |
The Khel Ratna Award (Hindi pronunciation: [kʰeːl rət̪nə]), officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (transl. Major Dhyan Chand Sport Jewel Award) or formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, is the highest sporting honour of India.[1] It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
Recipients are selected by a committee constituted by the Ministry and honoured for their "spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years" at an international level. As of 2020[update], the award comprises a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹25 lakh (US$29,000).[a]
Instituted in 1991–1992, the award was given for the performance by a sportsperson in a year. Based on the suggestions provided by 2014 award selection committee, the Ministry revised the criteria in February 2015 to consider the performance over a period of four years. The nominations for a given year are accepted till 30 April or last working day of April with not more than two sportspersons nominated for each sports discipline. A twelve-member committee evaluates the performances of a sportsperson at various international events which include the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. The committee later submits its recommendations to the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports for further approval.
From 1991 to 2021, the award was named after Rajiv Gandhi (1944–1991), the 6th Prime Minister of India. On August 6, 2021, the government of India renamed the award[7][8] after Major Dhyan Chand (1905–1979), an Indian field hockey player, widely regarded as one of the greatest field hockey players of all time, who scored more than 1000 goals over a 20-year career from 1926 to 1948.[9] While announcing the renaming of the award, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that he was responding to "many requests from citizens across India."[8][10] Indian opposition parties claimed that this was a "political game".[11][12][13]
The first recipient of the award was chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, who was honoured for the performance in the year 1991–1992. In 2001, sport shooter Abhinav Bindra, then aged 18, became the youngest recipient of the award.[14]
Usually conferred upon only one sportsperson in a year, a few exceptions have been made (1993–1994, 2002, 2009, 2012, 2016–2021 and 2024) when multiple recipients were awarded in a year.
As of 2024[update], there have been 62 recipients across sixteen sport disciplines: athletics, badminton, billiards, boxing, chess, cricket, field hockey, football, gymnastics, para-athletics, para-badminton, para-shooting, shooting, snooker, table tennis, tennis, wrestling, weightlifting, and yacht racing.
- ^ "Sania Mirza conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award". The Indian Express. New Delhi. 29 August 2015. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
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RGKR9was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Khel Ratna awardees to receive 25 lakh, 15 lakh for Arjuna awardees". The Indian Express. 29 August 2020. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ "PM renames Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award after Dhyan Chand". The Indian Express. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Khel Ratna named after Dhyan Chand - The Hindu". web.archive.org. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Discover hockey's answer to Pele". 26 February 2004. Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award Renamed After Hockey Great Dhyan Chand". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Renaming Khel Ratna award not people's wish, but political game: Shiv Sena". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Banerjee, Shoumojit (9 August 2021). "Renaming of khel ratna award is petty politics: Sena". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Renaming Khel Ratna award not people's wish, but 'political game': Shiv Sena". The Times of India. 9 August 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "5 Interesting Facts About Abhinav Bindra". The Times of India. 23 September 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
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