<span style="color: #222222;">President Ram Nath Kovind today virtually conferred the National Sports and Adventure Awards, 2020 on the occasion of National Sports Day. Mr Kovind presented Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, Dhyan Chand Award, Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar.<br />'' <br />'' Para-Athlete Mariyappan Thangavelu, Table Tennis player Manika Batra and Indian Women's Hockey team captain Rani Rampal received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.<br />'' <br />'' Dronacharya Awardees include Krishan Kumar Hooda for Kabaddi, Kuldeep Kumar Handoo for Wushu, Romesh Pathania for Hockey, Shiv Singh for Boxing, Dharmendra Tiwary for Archery, Gaurav Khanna for Para Badminton, Jaspal Rana for Shooting, Vijay Bhalchandra Munishwar for Para Powerlifting, Yogesh Malviya for Mallakhamb and Jude Felix Sebastian for Hockey.  <br />'' <br />'' Arjuna Awardees include Cricketer Deepti Sharma, Wrestlers Divya Kakran and Rahul Aware, Para Shooter Manish Narwal, Shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary, Para Athlete Sandeep, Equestrian player Ajay Anant Sawant, Winter Sports player Shiva Keshavan, Basketball player Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Rower Dattu Baban Bhokanal, Boxers Manish Kaushik and Lovlina Borgohain, Para Swimmer Suyash Narayan Jadhav, Shuttler Chirag C Shetty, Kho Kho player Kale Sarika Sudhakar, Table Tennis player Madhurika Suhas Patkar, Footballer Sandesh Jhingan, Kabaddi player Deepak, Archer Atanu Das, Athlete Dutee Chand and Hockey player Akashdeep Singh.    <br />'' <br />'' Dhyan Chand Award was given to Ajit Singh for Hockey, Kuldip Singh Bhullar and Jincy Philips for Athletics, J. Ranjith Kumar for Para Athletics, Trupti Murgunde and Pradeep Shrikrishna Gandhe for Badminton, Satyaprakash Tiwari for Para Badminton, Manjeet Singh for Rowing, N. Usha for Boxing, Manpreet Singh for Kabaddi, Netarpal Hooda for Wrestling and Nandan P Bal for Tennis. Late Sachin Nag was conferred the award posthumously for swimming.  <br />'' <br />'' Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award was given to Col. Sarfraz Singh, Taka Tamut, Anita Devi and Keval Hiren Kakka in the Land Adventure category. Late Magan Bissa was conferred the award posthumously in the Life Time Achievement category. Satendra Singh got the award in the Water Adventure category.  <br />'' <br />'' Panjab University, Chandigarh got the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, MAKA Trophy for overall top performing university in inter-university tournaments.<br />'' <br />'' Army Sports Institute and Lakshya Institute were honoured with Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar for identification and nurturing of budding and young Talent. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, ONGC Limited got the award for encouragement to sports through Corporate Social Responsibility.<br />'' <br />'' The Air Force Sports Control Board was honoured with the award for employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures. International Institute of Sports Management, IISM got the award for Sports for Development. Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar is given to the corporate entities both in private and public sector and individuals who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.<br />'' <br />'' Speaking on the occasion, Mr Kovind said that excellence and achievements in sports are not only the responsibility of the government. He said, the culture of sports can be promoted only by the participation of people of every class and region. The President expressed happiness that sports and fitness are now becoming a part of the thinking and routine of the youth. He said, parents-guardians and teachers are also changing their attitude towards sports. Mr Kovind expressed confidence that with everyone's collective efforts, India will emerge as a sporting superpower. He said, India has the goal to be in the Top Ten Podium Finisher Countries in the 2028 Olympic Games. The President said, we will definitely achieve this goal.<br />'' <br />'' Mr Kovind said, due to Covid-19, the sports world has been impacted. He said, in India also all sports activities have been affected. The President expressed happiness that players and coaches have been connected through online coaching and webinars. He said, the Sports Ministry and other institutes have also maintained contact with the coaches and players. The President expressed hope that people connected with the sporting world will come out of it with more mental strength and they will create new history with their achievements.  He said, sports and sportspersons strengthen the spirit of solidarity among our countrymen.<br />'' <br />'' Paying tributes to Major Dhyanchand, the President said, he is a role model for sportsperson as well as all other countrymen. Mr Kovind said, Major Dhyanchand got extraordinary achievements in the field of hockey with his dedication and skill amidst the simple surroundings and facilities.<br />'' <br />'' Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and several other dignitaries attended the ceremony from Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.<br />'' <br />'' The awardees attended the ceremony from various places across the country, Bengaluru, Pune, Sonepat, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Lucknow, Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal, Hyderabad and Itanagar. The Ceremony was broadcast live on AIR News and Doordarshan.<br />'' <br />'' For the first time, the National Sports and Adventure Award ceremony is being conducted virtually.<br />'' <br />'' Before the ceremony, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju paid floral tributes to hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand at his statue and portrait at Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi. </span><br />''