New Delhi | Jagran Sports Desk: National Sports Day, also known as Rashtriya Khel Divas, is celebrated on August 29 on the birth anniversary of Indian Hockey legend Major Dhayan Chand Singh.
The idea was first introduced in 2012 by the government of India. Since then it has been the centre of attraction for passionate sports fans of the country.
Also Read: PM Modi launches Fit India campaign | Watch Live Here
On this day, sportspersons across India promote the importance of sports. Apart from that, major awards including Khel Ratna, Arjuna Awards and Dronacharya Awards and Dhyan Chand Award are presented to deserving athletes.
So here’s a list of sportspersons nominated for various awards on National Sports Day 2019:
Dhyan Chand Award: Manuel Fredricks (hockey), Arup Basak (table tennis), Manoj Kumar (wrestling), Nitten Kirrtane (tennis), C Lalremsanga (archery).
Dronacharya Award (regular category): Vimal Kumar (badminton), Sandeep Gupta (table tennis), Mohinder Singh Dhillon (athletics).
Also Read: National Sports Day 2019: Here’s all you need to know about it
Dronacharya Award (lifetime category): Mezban Patel (hockey), Rambir Singh Khokar (kabaddi), Sanjay Bhardwaj (cricket).
Khel Ratna: Bajrang Punia (wrestling), Deepa Malik (para-athletics).
Arjuna Award: Tajinder Pal Singh Toor (athletics), Mohammed Anas Yahiya (athletics), S Bhaskaran (body building), Sonia Lather (boxing), Ravindra Jadeja (cricket), Chinglensana Kangujam (hockey), Ajay Thakur (kabaddi), Gaurav Singh Gill (motor sports), Pramod Bhagat (para sports-badminton), Anjum Moudgil (shooting), Harmeet Rajul Desai (table tennis), Pooja Dhanda (wrestling), Fouaad Mirza (equestrian), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (football), Poonam Yadav (cricket), Swapna Burman (athletics), Sundar Singh Gurjar (para sports-athletics), Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth (badminton), Simran Singh Shergill (polo).