Sixty-three years ago, a name was called out in a ceremony that would change Indian sports forever. Prithipal Singh stood up, and with that moment, the Arjuna Award found its first hockey champion.
Since then, the list has grown to include legends, goalkeepers, dragflickers, and defenders who carried India’s hockey stick to every corner of the world.
In 2024 alone, four men and one woman added their names to this list. This is not just an award list. It is six decades of Indian hockey told through the people who lived it.
Arjuna Award: Full List of Hockey Winners
Here is a look at every Indian hockey player, both men and women, who has received the Arjuna Award from 1961 to 2024.
The list covers over six decades of outstanding performance.
| Year | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Prithipal Singh | Anne Lumsden |
| 1963 | Charanjit Singh | – |
| 1964 | Hony. Capt. Shankar Laxman | – |
| 1965 | Udham Singh | Elvera Britto |
| 1966 | Hony. Capt. V.J. Peter | Sunita Puri |
| 1966 | Gurbux Singh | – |
| 1967 | Harbinder Singh | – |
| 1967 | Jagjit Singh | – |
| 1967 | Mohinder Lal | – |
| 1968 | Col. Balbir Singh | – |
| 1970 | Ajitpal Singh | – |
| 1971 | P. Krishnamurthy | – |
| 1972 | Michael Kindo | – |
| 1973 | M.P. Ganesh | Dr. Otilia Mascarenhas |
| 1974 | Ashok Kumar | Ajinder Kaur |
| 1975 | B.P. Govinda | Rupa Saini |
| 1977 | Col. Harcharan Singh | Lorraine Fernandes |
| 1979 | Vasudevan Baskaran | Rekha Mundphan |
| 1980 | Mohd. Shahid | Eliza Nelson |
| 1981 | – | Varsha Soni |
| 1983 | Zafar Iqbal | – |
| 1984 | – | Rajbir Kaur |
| 1985 | M. M. Somaya | Prem Maya |
| 1986 | Joaquim Carvalho | – |
| 1988 | Mohinder Pal Singh | – |
| 1989 | Pargat Singh | – |
| 1990 | Jagbir Singh | – |
| 1992 | Mervyn Fernandes | – |
| 1994 | Jude Felix | – |
| 1995 | Mukesh Kumar | – |
| 1995 | Dhanraj Pillay | – |
| 1996 | Ashish Ballal | – |
| 1996 | A. B. Subbaiah | – |
| 1997 | Harmik Singh | – |
| 1997 | Surinder Singh Sodhi | – |
| 1997 | Rajinder Singh Sr. | – |
| 1998 | Surjit Singh (Posthumous) | Pritam Rani |
| 1998 | M. K. Kaushik | S. Omana Kumari |
| 1998 | Baldev Singh | – |
| 1998 | Mohammed Riaz | – |
| 1998 | Baljit Singh Dhillon | – |
| 1999 | Balbir Singh Kular (Punjab) | – |
| 1999 | Lt. Col. Haripal Kaushik | – |
| 1999 | V.J. Phillips | – |
| 1999 | Ramandeep Singh Grewal | – |
| 2000 | Baljit Singh Saini | Tingongleima Chanu |
| 2000 | R.S. Bhola | Madhu Yadav |
| 2000 | Balkrishan Singh | – |
| 2000 | Jalaluddin Rizvi | – |
| 2001 | Dilip Tirkey | Sita Gossain |
| 2002 | Gagan Ajit Singh | Mamta Kharb |
| 2003 | Devesh Chauhan | Suraj Lata Devi |
| 2004 | Deepak Thakur | Helen Mary |
| 2005 | Viren Rasquinha | – |
| 2006 | – | Jyoti Sunita Kullu |
| 2007 | Prabhjot Singh | – |
| 2008 | – | – |
| 2009 | Ignace Tirkey | Surinder Kaur |
| 2010 | Sandeep Singh | Jasjeet Kaur Handa |
| 2011 | Rajpal Singh | – |
| 2012 | Sardar Singh | – |
| 2013 | – | Saba Anjum |
| 2015 | Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran | – |
| 2016 | Raghunath Vokkaliga Ramachandra | Rani |
| 2017 | Sunil Sowmarpet Vitalacharya | – |
| 2018 | Manpreet Singh | Savita |
| 2019 | Chinglensana Singh | – |
| 2020 | Akashdeep Singh | Deepika |
| 2021 | Dilpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Surender Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Birendra Lakra, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Shamsher Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Varun Kumar, Simranjeet Singh | Monika, Vandana Katariya |
| 2022 | – | Deep Grace Ekka |
| 2023 | Krishan Bahadur Pathak | Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam |
| 2024 | Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay | Salima Tete |
The table above covers every hockey player, across both men’s and women’s categories, who has been recognised with this honour since the award began in 1961.
What Is the Arjuna Award?
The Arjuna Award was set up by the Government of India in 1961 to recognise outstanding performance in sports. It is the second-highest sporting honour in India, sitting just below the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
The award is presented by the President of India every year on August 29, which is celebrated as National Sports Day across the country.
What Does the Winner Get?
Winning the Arjuna Award is not just about prestige. Every recipient takes home a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh, a bronze statuette of Arjuna, a scroll of honour, and a ceremonial dress.
The bronze statuette is modelled after Arjuna, the legendary archer from the Mahabharata, which is where the award gets its name from. It is a complete recognition package that covers both financial reward and lifetime honour.
Who Gives This Award and Why?
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, runs the selection process for this award. A committee formed by the Ministry picks the winners based on their performance at the international level over the past four years.
Athletes must show leadership, sportsmanship, and discipline to be considered. Players who have been penalised for doping or have pending criminal cases are not eligible to receive the award.
Who Was the First Hockey Player to Win It?
Prithipal Singh became the first Indian hockey player to receive the Arjuna Award in 1961, the very same year it was introduced. He set the standard for every hockey player who came after him.
Anne Lumsden became the first woman to receive the award in the same year, making 1961 a historic year for both men’s and women’s hockey in India.
Recent Winners
In 2024, the award was given to four male hockey players – Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, and Sanjay. On the women’s side, Salima Tete received the honour that year.
In 2023, Krishan Bahadur Pathak won it for men while Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam was recognised on the women’s side. These recent winners show that Indian hockey continues to produce world-class talent worth celebrating.
The Year 2021 Was Historic
The year 2021 stands out as the biggest single-year recognition in the history of this award for hockey. Sixteen male hockey players received the Arjuna Award together, which had never happened before.
This was directly connected to India winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics that year, ending a 41-year wait for an Olympic medal in hockey. It was a moment that the entire country celebrated, and the award list from that year reflects exactly that.
How Often Is the Award Given?
The award is given every year on August 29, which is National Sports Day in India. However, as the list shows, there have been some years where no hockey player received the award, and some years where multiple players were honoured at once. The selection depends on performance at international tournaments like the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Cup over four years.
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Conclusion: Sixty Years of Saving, Scoring, and Serving India
The Arjuna Award in hockey is not just a certificate or a cash prize. It is proof that someone gave everything to the sport for years and did it at the highest level possible.
From Prithipal Singh in 1961 to Salima Tete in 2024, every name on this list earned its place through hard work and dedication. Indian hockey’s greatest story is still being written, one award at a time.
