President Ram Nath Kovind will confer top sporting accolades to 65 of the 74 awardees in the first ever virtual ceremony of the National Sports Awards to be held on Saturday. The national awards ceremony will start at 11 am on 29th August, wherein, the president of India will present the awards to the winners in a virtual ceremony.

Cricketer Rohit Sharma and Asian Games gold medalist wrestler Vinesh Phogat will be the notable absentees among the 14 sportspersons who will not be attending the award function later in the day.

While Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee Vinesh Phogat tested positive for Covid-19 a day before the ceremony, Indian cricket team's vice captain Rohit Sharma will not be able to attend the ceremony as he is currently with the Mumbai Indians squad in the United Arab Emirates to take part in the thirteenth edition of Indian Premier League.

The Sports Ministry announced that the 2020 National Sports Award ceremony will be held on August 29 in the virtual format for the first-time every due to Coronavirus pandemic.

President Ram Nath Kovind will attend the virtual ceremony to confer the athletes with the prestigious honor via a National Informatics Centre (NIC) link from Rashtrapati Bhavan. The ceremony will take place at 11 AM and will be telecast live on Doordarshan.

The Sports Ministry had initially stated that nine awardees won’t be attending the ceremony. But late on Friday, it informed that the number has gone up to 14. The final list was released by the ministry after Vinesh tested positive for COVID-19.

The Sports Ministry had earlier announced that Rohit Sharma, Rani Rampal, Vinesh Phogat, Manika Batra and Mariyappan Thangavelu will receive the the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honor, while 27 sports personalities will be conferred with the Arjuna Award.

"My test was done on Thursday and it has come positive. I am at home right. Now, my family members will also get tested tomorrow. I still didn't feel any symptoms. I am absolutely fine," Vinesh told a news agency.

"Yeah, we will miss the ceremony. Getting an award personally is something different. You can take your family along, click some photos at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Virtual is not such fun," said an athlete, who will receive the Arjuna Award.

National Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is given for outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a period of four years preceding the award Arjuna Award is given for consistently outstanding performance for four years

Dronacharya Award goes to the coaches for producing medal winners at prestigious international sports events Dhyan Chand Award is for lifetime contribution to sports development