National Sports Awards are important for SSC & Railway recruitment exams. Questions may be asked from both static GK and current affairs, including award names, purpose, year of institution, recent awardees, and the sport associated with the winner.
For the 2026 exam cycle, candidates should also revise the latest National Sports Awards for the previous year, as these recent winners can be important for current affairs-based questions.
What are the different National Sports Awards in India?
The important National Sports Awards include the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, Arjuna Award (Lifetime), Dronacharya Award, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy. These awards recognize excellence in sports, coaching, lifetime contribution, and sports promotion. These awards are usually presented by the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan on National Sports Day (29th August).
| Award Name | Year Started | Given For | Important Fact |
| Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna | 1991–92 | Most outstanding sporting performance | Highest sporting honour |
| Arjuna Award | 1961 | Outstanding performance in sports | Given to sportspersons |
| Dronacharya Award | 1985 | Excellence in sports coaching | Given to coaches |
| Arjuna Award (Lifetime) | Current category | Lifetime contribution after sporting career | Important recent category |
| MAKA Trophy | 1956 | Outstanding university performance in sports | Linked with university sports |
| Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar | — | Promotion and development of sports | Given to eligible organisations/entities |
Latest National Sports Awards for 2026 Exams
For 2026 exams, candidates should pay special attention to the National Sports Awards given in previous year. Questions may be framed in SSC & Railways around the latest Arjuna Award winners, Dronacharya Award winners, Lifetime Award recipient, and the organisation recognised under the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar.
Arjuna Award Winners
A total of 17 sportspersons were named for the Arjuna Award. Candidates should learn both the winner and the sport because SSC & Railway exams often ask person-sport matching questions.
| Winner | Sport |
| Tejaswin Shankar | Athletics |
| Muhammed Ajmal V | Athletics |
| Priyanka Goswami | Athletics |
| Treesa Jolly | Badminton |
| Pullela Gayatri Gopichand | Badminton |
| Narender | Boxing |
| Vidit Santosh Gujarathi | Chess |
| Divya Jitendra Deshmukh | Chess |
| Dhanush Srikanth | Deaf Shooting |
| Lalremsiami | Hockey |
| Rajkumar Pal | Hockey |
| Surjeet | Kabaddi |
| Pooja | Kabaddi |
| Rudransh Khandelwal | Para-shooting |
| Ekta Bhyan | Para Athletics |
| Arvind Singh | Rowing |
| Akhil Sheoran | Shooting |
Arjuna Award (Lifetime)
The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) recognises sportspersons for their contribution to sports over the course of their career and beyond active competition. This category is important for recent current affairs preparation.
| Winner | Sport |
| I. Arumainayagam | Football |
Dronacharya Award Winners
The Dronacharya Award is presented to coaches for outstanding and meritorious work in developing sportspersons. Candidates should remember both the regular and lifetime categories.
| Category | Coach | Sport |
| Regular | Parveer Singh | Athletics |
| Regular | Chhote Lal Yadav | Boxing |
| Regular | Neha Nandkumar Chavan | Shooting |
| Lifetime | Dharmendra Singh Yadav | Boxing |
| Lifetime | Virender Kumar | Wrestling |
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar
The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar recognises organisations and institutions that contribute significantly to the development and promotion of sports in India.
| Awardee | Details |
| Army Paralympic Node, Pune | Recognised for sports promotion and development |
What are the tricks to remember National Sports Awards?
Candidates can use mnemonics, grouping, timeline-based memory techniques, and associations to remember the awards more easily. Instead of memorising all facts separately, linking awards with their purpose and famous sportspersons can improve recall.
| Trick / Method | Memory Idea | Example | Purpose |
| KADD Formula | K-A-D-D | Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya, Dhyan Chand | Recall major traditional awards |
| Role Association | Athlete-Coach-Lifetime | Arjuna = athlete, Dronacharya = coach | Identify award purpose |
| Timeline Method | 61-85-91-02 | Arjuna, Dronacharya, Khel Ratna, Dhyan Chand | Remember establishment years |
| Sports Grouping | Group winners by sport | Athletics, Chess, Hockey, Shooting | Remember recent winners |
| Pairing Method | Connect athletes of same sport | Vidit + Divya = Chess | Faster recall |
| PYQ Method | Revise repeated facts | First winner, category, purpose | Exam-focused revision |
Easy Trick to Remember Arjuna Award Winners
A practical way to remember the latest Arjuna Award winners is to group them by sport. This reduces the number of separate names candidates need to memorise and makes person-sport questions easier to solve.
| Sport | Winners |
| Athletics | Tejaswin Shankar, Muhammed Ajmal V, Priyanka Goswami |
| Badminton | Treesa Jolly, Pullela Gayatri Gopichand |
| Chess | Vidit Santosh Gujarathi, Divya Jitendra Deshmukh |
| Hockey | Lalremsiami, Rajkumar Pal |
| Kabaddi | Surjeet, Pooja |
| Shooting-related | Dhanush Srikanth, Rudransh Khandelwal, Akhil Sheoran |
| Others | Narender, Ekta Bhyan, Arvind Singh |
Important National Sports Awards Facts for RRB Exams
Candidates should revise a few direct facts separately because these are easy to convert into one-line MCQs in Railway exams.
| Question Area | Fact to Remember |
| Highest sporting honour | Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna |
| Award for outstanding athletes | Arjuna Award |
| Award for coaches | Dronacharya Award |
| Latest lifetime sportsperson category | Arjuna Award (Lifetime) |
| Arjuna Lifetime winner | I. Arumainayagam – Football |
| Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar | Army Paralympic Node, Pune |
| Number of Arjuna Award winners in previous year | 17 |
Smart Study Strategy to Remember National Sports Award Winners
Candidates should combine recent current affairs with static award facts. Revising winners in groups and practicing previous year questions can make this topic much easier to retain.
| Strategy | What to Do | How It Helps |
| Learn the latest cycle first | Focus on National Sports Awards | Most relevant for 2026 exams |
| Group by sport | Put winners from the same discipline together | Reduces memorisation load |
| Learn static facts separately | Award purpose + starting year | Helps in static GK questions |
| Revise with flashcards | Award on one side, winner/sport on the other | Improves recall |
| Practice PYQs | Solve award-related Railway questions | Identifies recurring question patterns |
| Revise monthly | Revisit the list with current affairs | Prevents factual confusion |
What are the tricks to remember National Sports Award Winners?
The different tricks to remember the national sports award winners include the “KADD Formula”, “Sports Academy Story Trick”, “Year Award Mapping”, and many more. Know the different tricks/methods from the table below:
| Trick / Method | Key Concept | Mnemonic / Memory Phrase | Award / Athlete / Example | Year (If Applicable) | Purpose |
| KADD Formula | Remember the sequence of major National Sports Awards | KADD | K – Khel Ratna, A – Arjuna Award, D – Dronacharya Award, D – Dhyan Chand Award | – | Helps quickly recall the four major National Sports Awards asked in Railway exams |
| Award Category Identification | Identify who receives each award | KADD mapping | Khel Ratna – Best sportsperson, Arjuna – Outstanding athletes, Dronacharya – Coaches, Dhyan Chand – Lifetime contribution | – | Useful for match-the-following and direct GK questions |
| Association Learning | Link awards with famous personalities or characters | Story Method | Arjuna – Athlete, Dronacharya – Coach (teacher), Dhyan Chand – Legendary player, Khel Ratna – Ultimate honour | – | Improves long-term memory using the storytelling technique |
| Sports Academy Story Trick | Visualize roles in a sports academy | “Athlete → Coach → Legend → Honour” | Arjuna (athlete), Dronacharya (coach), Dhyan Chand (legend), Khel Ratna (highest award) | – | Helps recall award purpose quickly during exams |
| Sports-Based Grouping | Remember winners by grouping sports | CSHP | Chess – D. Gukesh, Shooting – Manu Bhaker, Hockey – Harmanpreet Singh, Para Athletics – Praveen Kumar | Recent years | Makes it easier to remember multiple winners together |
| Timeline Method | Memorize award establishment years | ADKD – 61, 85, 91, 02 | Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, Khel Ratna, Dhyan Chand Award | 1961, 1985, 1991–92, 2002 | Very useful for static GK year-based questions |
| Year–Award Mapping | Chronological order of awards | “1961 → 1985 → 1991 → 2002” | Arjuna (1961), Dronacharya (1985), Khel Ratna (1991–92), Dhyan Chand (2002) | Same | Helps remember which award started first |
| Sports Icon Anchoring | Use famous players to remember awards | Legend Method | Viswanathan Anand – First Khel Ratna, Sachin Tendulkar – Khel Ratna, Mary Kom – Khel Ratna, Neeraj Chopra – Khel Ratna | – | Anchors awards to well-known sports personalities |
| Previous Year Question Practice | Identify commonly repeated exam questions | PYQ Method | Questions about first winner, award category, and year of institution | – | Helps understand frequent RRB exam patterns |
| Important Exam Facts | Direct answers frequently asked in exams | Quick Recall | First Khel Ratna winner – Viswanathan Anand, Award for coaches – Dronacharya, Lifetime sports award – Dhyan Chand | – | Enables fast revision before exams |
FAQs
National Sports Awards are part of General Awareness and Current Affairs, which are key sections in RRB exams such as NTPC, Group D, ALP, and Technician. Questions are often asked about award names, winners, and years of establishment, making them an important topic for scoring marks.
The major National Sports Awards include:
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award – Highest sporting honour in India
Arjuna Award – Given for outstanding performance in sports
Dronacharya Award – Presented to successful sports coaches
Dhyan Chand Award – Given for lifetime achievement in sports
MAKA Trophy – Awarded to the best performing university in sports
A simple mnemonic is KADD:
K – Khel Ratna
A – Arjuna Award
B– Dronacharya Award
D – Dhyan Chand Award
The National Sports Awards are usually presented every year on 29 August, which is celebrated as National Sports Day in India to honour the birth anniversary of legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand.
RRB aspirants should:
Focus on recent award winners (last 3–4 years)
Memorise the year of establishment of major awards
Use mnemonics and grouping techniques
Practice previous year RRB questions related to sports awards.
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Hello! This is Arijit Dutta. I am a skilled Content Writer at Oliveboard with nearly 3+ years of experience in crafting engaging, informative, and exam-focused content for the Railways Domain. With a strong command of language and a keen understanding of learner needs, I contribute significantly to Oliveboard’s mission of delivering high-quality educational resources. Passionate about clear communication and continuous learning, I consistently create content that helps government job aspirants achieve their goals. Outside of work, I enjoy playing cricket and listening to music, which helps me stay balanced and creative in my professional journey.