Special Arjuna award from "summary" of Sachin by Gulu Ezekiel
The Arjuna award is one of the highest honours given to Indian athletes for their excellence in sports. It is given to recognize their achievements and is a recognition of their hard work and dedication. The awardees are celebrated for their outstanding contributions to the sports culture of India.- Special Arjuna Award is one of the highest honours awarded by the Government of India to an individual for exceptional performance over several years in a field of sports. It is bestowed only on those sporting personalities who achieve extraordinary success and set an example with outstanding commitment, hard work and dedication.
- Winners are usually chosen on the basis of their achievements and the impact they have had at sport, regionally, nationally or globally. Many iconic names associated with different fields of sport such as cricket, football, badminton, hockey and tennis, among others, have received recognition by getting nominated for the special Arjuna Award.
- The award, which includes a Bronze statue of Arjuna, Medallion, citation and cash prize, has been given each year since 1961-62 and it is presented every year during National Sporting Day also known as National Sports Day.
- Since its inception, this grand honor has been credited to several accomplished athletes and sportspersons. Notable laureates include Vikram Singh, Lakshmi Ratan Shukla, Dhanraj Pillay, Mary Kom, Leander Paes, Virender Sehwag and Pullela Gopichand amongst others.
- Instituted under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, the decade old award strives to honour contributions made different sporting bodies and encourages people to take up sports as a career option. It celebrates excellence and brings attention of international level talent from our nation to bolster the morale of all civic - minded sports persons.
