Every year on 29th August, India comes together to celebrate National Sports Day. This event commemorates the birth anniversary of one of the iconic hockey players, Major Dhyan Chand. National Sports Day not only celebrates his birth anniversary but also emphasises the importance of sports and physical activities in our daily lives. National Sports Day is an opportune moment to reflect on the significance of sports in fostering national unity, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and inspiring the younger generation to engage in physical activities.
History
This day marks the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, who was born in 1905, in a Rajput family in Allahabad. Dhyan Chand had followed the footsteps of his father and joined the Army. It was in the Army where Dhyan Chand took up hockey. The hockey wizard brought various laurels to the nation and was part of the Indian hockey team which struck gold in the Olympics of 1928, 1932, and 1936. He scored more than 400 goals in his career which spanned over 22 years.
Dhyan Chand led the team with three goals in the 1936 Berlin Olympic final, which they won 8-1 against Germany. The game represented the height of India's hockey achievements under Dhyan Chand's leadership.
Even after retiring, he continued to make contributions to the game. He taught at several coaching camps in Rajasthan in addition to serving as head coach at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala.
Significance
On National Sports Day every year, the president of India gives out all the sports-related awards like the Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award to honour sportspersons and coaches who have made the nation proud in their respective sport.
The Khelo India movement, which
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated in 2018, is one of the sporting
initiatives that the government has launched on this day over the years.
