look news india
National Sports Day is celebrated every year on 29 August in India on the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand, the legendary hockey player of India. He played a key role in winning gold medals for India in the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics and scoring the first hat-trick at the Olympics.
Dhyan Chand started his hockey career with the regimental team of the British Indian Army. After completing his regimental duty during the day, he used to practice playing hockey at night under the moonlight.
Various events are organized in schools and colleges on the occasion of National Sports Day. The first National Sports Day in India was celebrated on 29 August 2012. This day is celebrated to honor the legacy of Major Dhyan Chand and acknowledge the importance of sports in our lives. Major Dhyan Chand is also known as the 'Wizard of Hockey'.
On this day, many programs and seminars are organized by the government to create awareness about the importance of physical activities and sports. Not only this, many awards like Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (now the government has renamed it as Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award), Arjun Award and Dronacharya Award are given to the players who bring glory to the country in the world of sports.
Major Dhyan Chand scored over 400 international goals in his career from 1926 to 1948, while in his entire career he scored nearly 1,000 goals.
Dhyan Chand's performance in the final of the 1936 Berlin Olympics is considered one of his best performances. He was the top scorer with 3 goals and India easily defeated Germany 8-1. This hockey player was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 1956.
Born in August 1905 in Allahabad (Prayagraj), Dhyan Chand joined the British Indian Army as a soldier at the age of 16. He died in Delhi on 3 December 1979 due to coma. A postage stamp was released on this great player and in 2002, the National Stadium in Delhi was renamed as Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.