President Ram Nath Kovind gives away National Sports & Adventure Awards 2020; Also Applauds Growing Popularity of Traditional Indian Games
The Prime Minister set the tone of the National Sports & Adventure Awards 2020 earlier today, by tweeting “#NationalSportsDay is a day to celebrate the remarkable achievements of all those exemplary sportspersons who have represented India in various sports and made our nation proud. Their tenacity and determination are outstanding.”
He also paid rich tribute to the legendary sportsperson, Major Dhyan Chand on the occasion of his 115th birth anniversary.
A little later, the awards were given away virtually, by the Hon’ble President Ram Nath Kovind, who congratulated all the athletes, coaches and sports association on their awards and for their inspiring efforts on and off the field.
The Hon’ble President presented the awards in the first-ever virtual ceremony in the history of the National Awards Function. He attended the ceremony from Rashtrapati Bhavan via video conferencing, while the recipients were present at SAI and NIC centres in various locations across the country.
The President underlined the role of sports in uniting and bringing our great country closer: When an athlete from Tamil Nadu wins a medal, a wave of happiness runs through the country till Ladakh. He added that sports strengthens the spirit of solidarity among our countrymen.
The President also touched upon the growing popularity of our traditional games, as mentioned by the Prime Minister many times – he said games like Kabaddi, Kho-Kho and Mallakhamb would help in connecting the common people with sports.
Interestingly, the President pointed out that the three out of five Khel Ratna awardees were women, and it made him proud that the country is on the right track.
The Sports Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju announced the prize money for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award had been increased to Rs 25 lakh from the previous amount of Rs 7.5 lakh; and the prize money for the Arjuna Award had been enhanced to Rs 15 lakh from Rs 5 lakh.
Based on the recommendations of the National Sports & Adventure Awards Committee, the Hon President conferred the Awards to the following sportspersons, coaches and entities under various categories.
Click here to view the list of National Sports & Adventure Awardees 2020
