The Government of India announced the awardees for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and Arjuna Award for the year 2015.
Sania Mirza was selected for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. With this Sania became only the second tennis player to be nominated for the highest sporting honour.
The government also named the winners of the 2015 Arjuna Awards. The list has 17 sports-persons including cricketer Rohit Sharma.
The awardees were selected based on the recommendations of the Selection Committee headed by Justice VK Bali, former Chief Justice of Kerala High Court and consisting of eminent sportspersons and sports administrators.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ranta 2015
| S. No. | Name of the awardee | Discipline |
| 1 | Ms. Sania Mirza | Tennis |
Arjuna Awards 2015
| S. No. | Name of the awardee | Discipline |
| 1 | Naib Subedar Sandeep Kumar | Archery |
| 2 | MR Poovamma | Athletics |
| 3 | Kidambi Srikanth Nammalwar | Badminton |
| 4 | Mandeep Jangra | Boxing |
| 5 | Rohit Sharma | Cricket |
| 6 | Dipa Karmakar | Gymnastic |
| 7 | Sreejesh PR | Hockey |
| 8 | Manjeet Chhillar | Kabaddi |
| 9 | Abhilasha Shashikant Mhatre | Kabaddi |
| 10 | Sawarn Singh | Rowing |
| 11 | Anup Kumar Yama | Roller Skating |
| 12 | Jitu Rai | Shooting |
| 13 | S Sathish Kumar | Weightlifting |
| 14 | Bajrang | Wrestling |
| 15 | Babita Kumari | Wrestling |
| 16 | Yumnam Sanathoi Devi | Wushu |
| 17 | Sharath M Gayakwad | Para-Swimming |
The awardees are given the awards from the President of India at a special function organized at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
About the Awards
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award comprises of a medal, a certificate and the award money of 7.5 lakh rupees
- Arjuna Award comprises of a statuettes, certificates and the award money of 5 lakh rupees each.
Sania Mirza
- Sania is currently ranked world number one in women’s doubles
- She made a history by becoming the first Indian to win a women’s doubles Grand Slam title when she and Martina Hingis clinched the Wimbledon trophy earlier this year.
- Sania is only the second tennis player after Leander Paes to be named for the top award.
- Paes had been bestowed the honour way back in 1996 after his bronze medal in the Atlanta Olympics.
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
- It is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports, given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, government of India.
- The words “Khel Ratna” literally mean “sports gem” in Hindi.
- The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India.
- It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component.
- Up to 2004–05, the cash component was Rs. 500,000/- (c.11,500 USD). In 2005, the money has been increased from Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 750,000.
- The award was instituted in the year 1991–92 to supply the lack of a supreme national accolade in the field of sports.
- Predating the RGKR are the Arjuna awards that have always been given to outstanding sportspersons in each of many sporting disciplines every year.
- The Khel Ratna was devised to be an overarching honour, conferred for outstanding sporting performance, whether by an individual or a team, across all sporting disciplines in a given year.
