Dronacharya Award

Dronacharya award
Civilian award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports and Games
Awarded forSports coaching honour in India
Sponsored byGovernment of India
Reward(s)15 lakh
First awarded1985
Last awarded2023
Highlights
Total awarded144
First winner

The Dronacharya Award, officially known as Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports and Games,[1] is sports coaching honour of the Republic of India. The award is named after Drona, often referred as "Dronacharya" or "Guru Drona", a character from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata of ancient India.[2] He was master of advanced military warfare and was appointed as the royal preceptor to the Kaurava and the Pandava princes for their training in military arts and astras (Divine weapons).[3] It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Recipients are selected by a committee constituted by the Ministry and are honoured to have done "outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and enabled sportspersons to excel in international events" over a period of four years. Two awards are designated for the lifetime contribution in coaching where the achievements in producing "outstanding sportspersons" over a period of 20 years or more are considered. As of 2020, the award comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh (US$18,000).[a][1]

Instituted in 1985,[5] the award is given only to the disciplines included in the events like Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championship and World Cup along with Cricket, Indigenous Games, and Parasports.[1] The nominations for a given year are accepted till 30 April or last working day of April. A ten-member committee evaluates the nominations and later submits their recommendations to the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports for further approval.[1]

The first recipients of the award were Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat (Wrestling), Om Prakash Bhardwaj (Boxing), and O. M. Nambiar (Athletics), who were honoured in 1985.[6] Usually conferred upon not more than five coaches in a year, a few exceptions have been made (2012 and 2016–2020) when more recipients were awarded in a year.[7]

  1. ^ a b c d "Scheme for Dronacharya Award For Outstanding Coaches In Sports And Games (Amended as on 3 February 2016)" (PDF). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. 3 February 2016. p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Dronacharya award". Sports Logon. 2017. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  3. ^ Gupta, Ajay (2016). Word of God Bhagavad Gita. Notion Press. p. 258. ISBN 978-1-945497-74-2. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.: 14 
  4. ^ "Khel Ratna awardees to receive 25 lakh, 15 lakh for Arjuna awardees". The Indian Express. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  5. ^ Bhardwaj, D. K. "India in Sports: Some Fabulous Achievements". Press Information Bureau, India. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Dronacharya Award: Honouring the teacher who moulds an athlete into a star". Olympic Channel. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference DA17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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