National Sports Day is celebrated in India every year on 29 August as a tribute and mark of respect to the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand. He was fondly called ‘Dadda’ by the sports lovers of the country. August 29 marks the birth anniversary of Dhyan Chand who was born in 1905 and achieved unprecedented success in Indian hockey.
He was a key figure in India’s historic gold medal triumphs in hockey at the Olympic Games in 1928, 1932 and 1936. On this day, India also recognises the achievements of the country’s sportspersons over the past 12 months. Over the years, the annual sports awards were also presented by the President of India with a grand ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
As a mark of respect to Dhyan Chand and his contribution to Indian sports, including national hockey, the country’s most prestigious sports award, Khel Ratna, was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021.
On the occasion of National Sports Day, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya paid a floral tribute to Major Dhyan Chand and later a plantation drive was undertaken at the SAI Dhyan Chand Stadium.
The Indian government has also used the National Sports Day as a platform to launch several programmes, including the Khelo India movement in 2018. Moreover, the Uttar Pradesh government is also honouring Dhyan Chand with major initiatives. The government is upgrading the ‘Heroes Ground’ in Jhansi and establishing the Dhyan Chand Museum. The state’s first sports university in Meerut is also under construction and will be named after the hockey legend.
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