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Who was the first recipient of the Khel Ratna Award?

  1. A.Viswanathan Anand
  2. B.Leander Paes
  3. C.Kapil Dev
  4. D.Karnam Malleswari

Correct answer

A. Viswanathan Anand

Explanation

The correct answer is A, Viswanathan Anand, the chess grandmaster, who received the award in its very first year, 1991 and 1992, when it was still called the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Option B is wrong because Leander Paes, the tennis player, won the honour a few years later, after his Olympic bronze at Atlanta in 1996. Option C is wrong because Kapil Dev led India to the cricket World Cup in 1983, well before the award existed, and the honour is given for performance in the four years preceding it. Option D is wrong because Karnam Malleswari, the weightlifter who became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, at Sydney in 2000, received her Khel Ratna much later. The examination pairing to remember is Anand, chess, and the first year of the award.

Read the full article: Sports Awards of India: Khel Ratna, Arjuna and Dronacharya

Practice Questions

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Q1.Sports GKEasy

Which is the highest sporting honour conferred by the Government of India?

  1. A.Arjuna Award
  2. B.Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
  3. C.Dronacharya Award
  4. D.Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

Instituted in 1991 and 1992 and renamed in August 2021, it is given for the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over the four preceding years and stands at the top of the national sports awards.

Q2.Sports GKEasy

The Dronacharya Award is given to:

  1. A.Sportspersons for lifetime achievement
  2. B.Coaches of sportspersons
  3. C.Corporate houses promoting sport
  4. D.Universities with the best sporting record
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Coaches of sportspersons

Instituted in 1985 and named after the teacher of the Pandavas and the Kauravas, it honours coaches whose trainees have won medals and honours at international events, and it is given in a regular category and a lifetime category.

Q3.Sports GKMedium

In which year was the Arjuna Award instituted?

  1. A.1951
  2. B.1961
  3. C.1985
  4. D.1991
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 1961

The Arjuna Award is the oldest of the individual national sports awards and is given for consistently outstanding performance over four years, together with qualities of leadership, discipline and sportsmanship; the awardee receives a bronze statuette of Arjuna, a scroll and a cash prize.

Q5.Sports GKMedium

The Dhyan Chand Award, instituted in 2002, is given for:

  1. A.The best performance in a single season
  2. B.Lifetime achievement in sports
  3. C.Excellence in coaching
  4. D.Promotion of sport by an institution
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Lifetime achievement in sports

The Dhyan Chand Award goes to a sportsperson who performed with distinction in the past and has continued to serve the game after retiring, whether by coaching, organising or promoting it.