National Sports Day

 Indian National Sports Day

National Sports Day is celebrated every year in India on August 29 since 2012 to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Dhyan Chand, widely known as 'Wizard of Hockey'. 

Major Dhyan Chand Singh, was born on 29 August 1905 in present-day Praygraj, UP. After getting a basic education, Dhyan Chand joined the Indian army as a soldier in 1922.He went on to become Lieutenant, Captain and was eventually promoted to Major.

Major Dhyan Chand was a legendary figure in Indian and world hockey. He played a very significant role in helping India complete their first hat-trick of Olympic gold medals with victories at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics.

he was awarded the Padma Bhushan Award by the Government of India in 1956, the third-largest civilian honour in India. 

Major Dhyan Chand Sport Jewel Award, formerly known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in Sports and Games, is the highest sporting honour of the Republic of India.

National Sports Day is celebrated extensively at the national level. It is organized every year in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the President of India presents National Sports Awards to the outstanding players of the country. In 2020, the awards were presented virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Under the National Sports Award, players and former players are honoured with awards such as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, and Dronacharya Award. Along with all these honours, the "Dhyan Chand Award" is also given on this day.

This day is observed to raise awareness about the value of sports and daily activities in everyone's life, emphasizing the importance of being fit and healthy.