Tokyo Olympics 2020 gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, veteran woman cricketer Mithali Raj, Indian football team skipper Sunil Chhetri and history-making Paralympic stars (from Avani Lekhara to Sumit Antil) were among 12 sportspersons who were presented with India’s highest sporting honour ‘The Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna’.
The sports persons were conferred with the honour by President Ram Nath Kovind in a glittering function organised at the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan on 13 November. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is given for the most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of the previous four years.
The sports stars who were felicitated with the award are:
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2021
| S. No. | Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
| 1. | Neeraj Chopra | Athletics |
| 2. | Ravi Kumar | Wrestling |
| 3. | LovlinaBorgohain | Boxing |
| 4. | Sreejesh P.R | Hockey |
| 5. | AvaniLekhara | Para Shooting |
| 6. | SumitAntil | Para Athletics |
| 7. | Pramod Bhagat | Para Badminton |
| 8. | Krishna Nagar | Para Badminton |
| 9. | Manish Narwal | Para Shooting |
| 10. | Mithali Raj | Cricket |
| 11. | Sunil Chhetri | Football |
| 12. | Manpreet Singh | Hockey |
All of the awardees were present at the function except shuttler Krishna Nagar who couldn’t attend the event after the sudden demise of his mother.
Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and many other National Sports Awards are given every year to recognise and reward excellence in sports. The ministry of youth affairs and sports announced the National Sports Awards on 2 November.
After Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award the second highest sporting honour of India is The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games.
All men’s Hockey India team who bought home the historic bronze medal in Tokyo 2020 Olympics was awarded Arjun Award with the exceptions of PR Sreejesh and Manpreet Singh who were felicitated with the Khel Ratna Award.
Arjuna Award winners for 2021 are:
Arjuna Awards for outstanding performance in Sports and Games 2021
| S. No. | Name of the Sportsperson | Discipline |
| Arpinder Singh | Athletics | |
| Simranjit Kaur | Boxing | |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Cricket | |
| Bhavani Devi ChadalavadaAnandhaSundhararaman | Fencing | |
| Monika | Hockey | |
| Vandana Katariya | Hockey | |
| Sandeep Narwal | Kabaddi | |
| HimaniUttamParab | Mallakhamb | |
| Abhishek Verma | Shooting | |
| Ankita Raina | Tennis | |
| Deepak Punia | Wrestling | |
| Dilpreet Singh | Hockey | |
| Harman Preet Singh | Hockey | |
| Rupinder Pal Singh | Hockey | |
| Surender Kumar | Hockey | |
| Amit Rohidas | Hockey | |
| Birendra Lakra | Hockey | |
| Sumit | Hockey | |
| Nilakanta Sharma | Hockey | |
| Hardik Singh | Hockey | |
| Vivek Sagar Prasad | Hockey | |
| Gurjant Singh | Hockey | |
| Mandeep Singh | Hockey | |
| Shamsher Singh | Hockey | |
| Lalit Kumar Upadhyay | Hockey | |
| Varun Kumar | Hockey | |
| Simranjeet Singh | Hockey | |
| Yogesh Kathuniya | Para Athletics | |
| Nishad Kumar | Para Athletics | |
| Praveen Kumar | Para Athletics | |
| SuhashYathiraj | Para Badminton | |
| SinghrajAdhana | Para Shooting | |
| Bhavina Patel | Para Table Tennis | |
| Harvinder Singh | Para Archery | |
| Sharad Kumar | Para Athletics |
No sportsperson can succeed without the support and of their coach. Therefore, to honour some of the outstanding mentors Dronacharya Award is given every year.
Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games 2021
- Life-Time Category:
| S. No. | Name of the Coach | Discipline |
| T. P. Ouseph | Athletics | |
| Sarkar Talwar | Cricket | |
| Sarpal Singh | Hockey | |
| Ashan Kumar | Kabaddi | |
| Tapan Kumar Panigrahi | Swimming |
- Regular Category:
| S. No. | Name of the Coach | Discipline |
| Radhakrishnan Nair P | Athletics | |
| Sandhya Gurung | Boxing | |
| Pritam Siwach | Hockey | |
| Jai Prakash Nautiyal | Para Shooting | |
| Subramanian Raman | Table Tennis |
The Major Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games, is the lifetime achievement sporting honour of the Republic of India.
Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime achievement in Sports and Games 2021
| S.No. | Name | Discipline |
| Lekha K.C. | Boxing | |
| Abhijeet Kunte | Chess | |
| Davinder Singh Garcha | Hockey | |
| Vikas Kumar | Kabaddi | |
| Sajjan Singh | Wrestling |
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar recognizes the “involvement of corporates, voluntary organizations, and sports control boards, in the promotion and development of sports in the country” over the previous three years.
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2021
| S. No. | Category | Entity recommended for Rashtriya Khel l Protsahan Puraskar, 2021 |
| 1. | Identification and Nurturing of Budding and Young Talent | Manav Rachna Educational Institution |
| 2. | Encouragement to sports through Corporate Social Responsibility | Indian Oil Corporation Limited |
