Prior to creation of this award, Arjuna award was used to be given for outstanding performance in the field of adventure. Ten individual and one team Arjuna award were given in the years 1965 to 1986 in the field of either mountaineering and adventure sports. The first and only team Arjuna award to date was presented to the entire team of twenty mountaineers in 1965 representing the successful Indian Everest expedition of 1965. Individually, four mountaineers in 1981, two mountaineers in 1984 including Bachendri Pal, India's first woman to scale Mount Everest and three adventurers in 1986 were awarded the Arjuna award.