Khel Ratna Awards 2024

Tags: Awards

Why in the news?

• The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced the National Sports Awards 2024 . 

Important points:

• The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17th January, 2025.

• Double Olympic-medalist Manu Bhaker,chess world championGukesh, gold-medalist ParalympianPraveen Kumar, andcaptain of the bronze-medal-winning Indian hockey team Harmanpreet Singh are the four athletes who will be presented with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, as a part of the National Sports Awards 2024.

• Viswanathan Anand, an Indian chess grandmaster, was the first recipientof the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991–92. The award is India's highest sporting honor. 

About Khel Ratna Award:

• The Khel Ratna Award , officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award or formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, is the highest sporting honour of India.

•  It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.