SYLLABUS
Paper I Prelims: Current events of national and international importance.
Context: President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Sports Awards 2025 at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, recognising outstanding achievements by Indian sportspersons, coaches and sports organisations.
About the National Sports Awards
- Conferred annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to recognise excellence and outstanding contributions to sports.
- Traditionally presented on 29 August, commemorating National Sports Day and the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
- However, the ceremony date has varied since the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Khel Ratna was originally instituted as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991–92 and renamed after Major Dhyan Chand in August 2021.
Major National Sports Awards
National Sports Awards 2025
- No Khel Ratna Award: No sportsperson was selected for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2025. The last time this happened was in 2014.
- Historic achievement: Hockey player Lalremsiami became the first sportsperson from Mizoram to receive the Arjuna Award.
- Her achievements include bronze at the 2022 Asian Games, Asian Champions Trophy titles in 2023 and 2024, and gold at the 2026 Asian Games.
- No cricketer: No cricketer featured among the awardees. Mohammed Shami was the last cricketer to receive the Arjuna Award in 2023.
- Selection Process: The selection committee was chaired by former Supreme Court Judge Justice (Retd.) Arun Kumar Mishra.
- Its members included Indian Olympic Association Vice-President Gagan Narang, former badminton player Aparna Popat and former hockey player M. M. Somaya.
- The final list was announced on August 18, 2026, and the awards were presented on November 13, 2026.