Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award rechristened as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

Current GK (CCA) Sports

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honour of India, has been renamed as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, as per an announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 06, 2021.
The Khel Ratna award was instituted in 1991-1992 and comes with a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh. The first recepient was Chess legend Viswanathan Anand.
Allahabad-born Major Dhyan Chand was a legendary field hockey player, who played international hockey from 1926 to 1949, scoring over 400 goals in his career.
The ultimate hockey hero was famously known as ‘The Wizard’.
Dhyan Chand was part of the Olympic team that won gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936.
Apart from the Khel Ratna award, India’s highest award for lifetime achievement in sports is known as the Dhyan Chand Award. It was instituted in 2002.