The Arjuna Awardee in Polo

Simran Singh Shergill, the face of Polo in India and the highest handicapped player presently in the Indian Polo scenario. He holds the position of distinction as he comes up as one of the most celebrated and energetic Polo players in India. His excellence and determination towards the sport have resulted in naming various victories for him and his respective team. One of the finest players in the country, Simran Singh Shergill’s passion for Polo started as a hobby and turned into a profession. His love for the horses as a kid brought him closer to the world of Polo and his agility and attitude are the learning aspects for any upcoming player. Simran Singh Shergill has represented India numerous times on the global platform and has been the captain of the Indian Polo Team which competed against Argentina in 2018. Simran Singh Shergill was nominated for the Arjuna Award on 18th August 2018 for his excellence and sportsmanship on the Polo field.

List of the winners at National Sports Awards 2019

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award:

1. Deepa Malik - Para-Athletics
2. Bajrang Punia -Wrestling

Arjuna Award

1. Simran Singh Shergill (polo)
2. Ravindra Jadeja (cricket)
3. Mohammed Anas Yahiya (athletics)
4. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (football)
5. Sonia Lather (boxing)
6. Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (hockey)
7. S Bhaskaran (bodybuilding)
8. Ajay Thakur (kabaddi)
9. Anjum Moudgil (shooting)
10. Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth (badminton)
11. Tajinder Pal Singh Toor (athletics)
12. Pramod Bhagat (para sports-badminton)
13.Harmeet Rajul Desai (table tennis)
14. Pooja Dhanda (wrestling)
15. Fouad Mirza (equestrian)
16. Poonam Yadav (cricket)
17. Swapna Burman (athletics)
18. Sundar Singh Gurjar (para sports-athletics)
19. Gaurav Singh Gill (motorsports).

Dronacharya Award (regular category)

1. Mohinder Singh Dhillon - Athletics
2. Sandeep Gupta - Table Tennis
3. Vimal Kumar - Badminton

Dronacharya Award (lifetime category)

1. Sanjay Bhardwaj - Cricket
2. Rambir Singh Khokar - Kabaddi
3. Mezban Patel - Hockey

Dhyan Chand Award:

1. Manoj Kumar - Wrestling
2. C Lalremsanga - Archery
3. Arup Basak - Table tennis
4. Nitten Kirrtane - Tennis
5. Manuel Fredricks - Hockey

18th August 2019
It's another feather in the cap of Indian polo fraternity as polo player Simran Singh Shergill has been recommended by the Government of India for the prestigious Arjuna Award. Simran Singh Shergill holds a +6 handicap, which makes him the highest handicap polo player in the country.

ABOUT ARJUNA AWARD

The Arjuna Awards started in 1961, which is since then awarded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government Of India. The award recognises the brilliant works and achievements in the realm of sports. The Arjuna Award carries a cash prize of worth ₹ 500,000 along with a scroll as well as a bronze statue of Arjuna.The Arjuna Award originally takes places on the 29th September every year, in honor of the birth anniversary of hockey player Dhyan Chand. But these dates can be altered due to Olympics, Asian Games or Commonwealth Games. Hence, this year the award ceremony will be commenced on the 25th September
 

2018

 

Col. Ravi Rathore holds the place of distinction as he comes up as the highest handicap polo player from the Indian Army. Not only this, but Col. Ravi Rathore’s excellent skill with the horses and mallet led him to hold the position of the Honorable Secretary of the Indian Polo Association (IPA). Col. Ravi Rathore has also been the captain of the Indian Polo Team for the zone ‘E’ playoffs, and definitely, he had earned the position with all the perseverance he has put in polishing the sport and bringing it back to the country. Today, Col. Ravi Rathore received the prestigious Arjuna Award from President Ram Nath Kovind at National Sports Awards.

Other Players Who Won Awards At The National Sports Awards
Based on the recommendations of the Committee and after due scrutiny, the Government has decided to confer awards upon the following sportspersons, coaches and entities:


(i) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2018
1.Ms. S. Mirabai Chanu = Weightlifting
2.Shri Virat Kohli = Cricket

(ii) Dronacharya Awards 2018

1.Subedar Chenanda Achaiah Kuttappa = Boxing
2.Shri Vijay Sharma = Weightlifting
3.Shri A. Srinivasa Rao = Table Tennis
4.Shri Sukhdev Singh Pannu = Athletics
6.Shri Clarence Lobo = Hockey (Life Time)
7.Shri Tarak Sinha = Cricket (Life Time)
8.Shri Jiwan Kumar Sharma = Judo (Life Time)
9.Shri V.R. Beedu = Athletics (Life Time)

(iii) Arjuna Awards 2018
1.Shri Neeraj Chopra = Athletics
2.Naib Subedar Jinson Johnson = Athletics
3.Ms. Hima Das = Athletics 4.Ms. Nelakurthi Sikki Reddy = Badminton
5.Subedar Satish Kumar = Boxing
6.Ms. Smriti Mandhana = Cricket
7.Shri Shubhankar Sharma = Golf
8.Shri Manpreet Singh = Hockey
9.Ms. Savita = Hockey
10.Col. Ravi Rathore = Polo
11.Ms. Rahi Sarnobat = Shooting
12.Shri Ankur Mittal = Shooting
13.Ms. Shreyasi Singh = Shooting
14.Ms. Manika Batra = Table Tennis
15.Shri G. Sathiyan = Table Tennis
16.Shri Rohan Bopanna = Tennis
17.Shri Sumit = Wrestling
18.Ms. Pooja Kadian = Wushu
19.Shri Ankur Dhama = Para-Athletics
19.Shri Manoj Sarkar = Para-Badminton

(iv) Dhyan Chand Award 2018
1.Shri Satyadev Prasad = Archery
2.Shri Bharat Kumar Chetri = Hockey
3.Ms. Bobby Aloysius= Athletics
4.Shri Chougale Dadu Dattatray = Wrestling

(vi) Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2018
1.Identification and Nurturing of Budding & Young Talent = Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited
2.Encouragement to Sports through Corporate Social Responsibility = JSW Sports
3.Sports for Development = Isha Outreach


17th September 2018
The 17th of September 2018 wrapped up as a memorable day for the Indian Polo Fraternity, as Col. Ravi Rathore (+5 handicap) was nominated for the prestigious Arjuna Award for his spellbinding performance in the field of Polo. This year it was as if the history was created once again after a long interval. LA POLO brings you the list of all the Arjuna Awardees in Polo from the past:

YEAR	NAME OF THE POLO PLAYER
1961	Shri. Prem Singh
1963	Maj. Thakur Kishan Singh
1964	Shri. Hanut Singh
1975	Major V. P. Singh
1983	Lt. Col. R. S. Sodhi
1987	Lt. Col. K.S. Garcha
2012	Samir Suhag
2018	Col. Ravi Rathore
2019	Simran Singh Shergill