In which year 'Dronacharya Award' was instituted?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is (2):
The Dronacharya Award, India's highest recognition for outstanding sports coaches, was officially instituted by the Government of India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in the year 1985. The award is named after Guru Drona, the revered royal preceptor in the ancient Hindu epic *Mahabharata*, symbolizing the vital and indispensable role of a coach (or Guru) in shaping a successful athlete. Its purpose is to honor those eminent coaches who have consistently enabled their trainees to achieve outstanding results in major international competitions, such as the Olympic Games, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. The first ever recipients of this prestigious honor were named in the very year of its inception, 1985, which established the award as a permanent feature of India's National Sports Awards.

The incorrect option is (1):
The year 1984 is incorrect because the Dronacharya Award had not yet been formally established by the government. Although the need for an award specifically for sports coaches was being discussed and gaining momentum around this time, the necessary legislation and official gazette notification were completed only in the following year. Therefore, while 1984 falls very close to the actual inception date, it precedes the official institution of the award by one year.

The incorrect option is (3):
The year 1983 is incorrect as the official process for instituting the Dronacharya Award was still a few years away from completion. No awards for coaching excellence under this name were conceptualized or conferred in 1983. In sports history, 1983 is primarily memorable for India's Cricket World Cup victory, which certainly boosted national sporting interest, but it bears no connection to the origin of this specific coaching award. This year is simply too early to be considered the institution date.

The incorrect option is (4):
The year 1986 is incorrect as it represents the year of the *second* Dronacharya Award ceremony, not the year of its institution. The inaugural set of awards was already conferred on the first batch of recipients in August 1985, making 1985 the correct year of establishment. Therefore, selecting 1986 would mistakenly identify the year the award was first continued, rather than the year it was first officially started.