Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
Awarded by Government of India
Type Civilian
Category Sports (Individual/Team)
Description
Description Highest sports honour in India
Statistics
Instituted 1991
First awarded 1991
Last awarded 2015
Total awarded 28
Cash award ₹7.5 lakh (US$11,000)
First awardee(s) Viswanathan Anand
Recent awardee(s) Sania Mirza
Award rank
Arjuna Award →

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, officially known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in Sports and Games,[1] is highest sporting honour of the Republic of India.[2] It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The recipient is selected by the committee constituted by the ministry and is honoured for their "spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over a period of four years". As of 2016, the award comprises a medallion, a certificate, and a cash prize of ₹7.5 lakh (US$11,000).[1]

Instituted in 1991–92, the award was given for the performance by a sports person in a year.[3][4] Based on the suggestions provided by 2014 award selection committee,[5] the ministry revised the criteria in February 2015 to consider the performance over a period of four years.[6]

The first recipient of the award was Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, who was honoured for the performance in the year 1991–92. As of 2015, there have been twenty-eight recipients which includes seven sport shooters, three Athletes, two badminton players, billiards players, boxers, cricketers, tennis players, wrestlers, weightlifters, Yacht racers each, and one chess, field hockey and snooker player. The most recent recipient of the award is tennis player Sania Mirza. Following the announcement, in August 2015, that Mirza was to be awarded, a Public-Interest Litigation was filed in the Karnataka High Court.[7]

Awardees

List of award recipients, showing the year, and discipline(s)
Year Recipient(s) Discipline(s) Refs.
1991–92 Viswanathan Anand Chess [8]
1992–93 Geet Sethi Billiards [8]
1993–94 Cdr. Homi D. Motivala Yachting (Team Event) [9]
1993–94 Lt. Cdr. P. K. Garg Yachting (Team Event) [9]
1994–95 Karnam Malleswari Weightlifting [8]
1995–96 Nameirakpam Kunjarani Weightlifting [8]
1996–97 Leander Paes Tennis [8]
1997–98 Sachin Tendulkar Cricket [8]
1998–99 Jyotirmoyee Sikdar Athletics [3]
1999–2000 Dhanraj Pillay Hockey (Men) [8][10]
2000–01 Pullela Gopichand Badminton [11]
2001 Abhinav Bindra Shooting [12]
2002 K. M. Beenamol Athletics [13]
2002 Anjali Bhagwat Shooting [13]
2003 Anju Bobby George Athletics [14]
2004 Lt. Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Shooting [15]
2005 Pankaj Advani Billiards and Snooker [16]
2006 Manavjit Singh Sandhu Shooting [17]
2007 Mahendra Singh Dhoni Cricket [18]
2008 No Award[lower-alpha 1] [8]
2009 Mary Kom Boxing (Women) [19]
2009 Vijender Singh Boxing [19]
2009 Sushil Kumar Wrestling [19]
2010 Saina Nehwal Badminton [20]
2011 Gagan Narang Shooting [21]
2012 Vijay Kumar Shooting [22]
2012 Yogeshwar Dutt Wrestling [22]
2013 Ronjan Sodhi Shooting [23]
2014 No Award [24]
2015 Sania Mirza Tennis [25]

Explanatory notes

  1. ↑ The award for the performance in 2008 is being referred to as award for 2009.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Scheme for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award" (PDF). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Sania Mirza conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award". The Indian Express (New Delhi). Press Trust of India. 29 August 2015. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Arjun Awards 1998 announced Ms. Jyotirmoyee Sikdar gets Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 1998-99" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Criteria for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Dronacharya Award and Dhyan chand Award" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "National Sports Awards Schemes Revamped" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "Committee for National Awards" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "Karnataka HC stays Sania Mirza's Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award". Daily News and Analysis (Mumbai). 26 August 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards". Sports Authority of India. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 "National Sports Awards". Yachting Association of India. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Arjuna Awards to be presented tomorrow" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 30 August 2000. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "President presents Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 29 September 2001. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "President presents Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 29 August 2002. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  13. 1 2 "Arjuna Awards, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Dhyan Chand and Dronacharya Awards given away" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 29 August 2003. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  14. ↑ "President gives away Arjuna Awards and Dronacharya Awards" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 21 September 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  15. ↑ "President gives away Arjuna Awards and Dronacharya Awards" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 29 August 2005. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, 2005, Arjuna awards 2005, Dhyan Chand awards, 2006 and Dronacharya awards for the year 2005 Announced" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 23 August 2006. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "President gives away Arjuna Awards and Dronacharya Awards" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna & Arjuna Awards announced" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Awards and other Sports Awards Announced" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  20. ↑ "Sports Minister Gives away Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award to Saina Nehwal" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 8 November 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  21. ↑ "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Awards and other Sports Awards Announced" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 18 August 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Awards Announced" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  23. ↑ "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  24. ↑ "National Sports Awards 2014" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  25. ↑ "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2015 and Arjuna Awards 2015" (Press release). Press Information Bureau, India. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2016.

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