When is National Sports Day in India? What is special about this holiday? Why are millions of Indians looking forward to it? What betting opportunities are hidden behind this holiday? Parimatch is here to give the answers to all these questions in this all-encompassing post.
No one can deny that sports are an important part of Indian everyday life, and such holidays are a real tradition. So, let’s take a deeper look at this day, see who established it, analyze India’s national sports awards, and other peculiarities of this holiday! Get comfortable and keep reading!
Table of Contents
When Is National Sports Day Celebrated?
National Sports Day in India is celebrated on August 29. The main goal of this holiday is to commemorate a legendary hockey player, Major Dhyan Chand Singh. Actually, Indian Sports Day is celebrated every year on Major Dhyan Chand birthday starting from 2012.
Who Is Major Dhyan Chand?
Let’s take a deeper look at this legendary sportsman and his role in the history of Indian and world hockey. Major Dhyan Chand is a legendary Indian hockey team player, also known as the “Hockey Wizard”. He was born on August 29, 1905.
This talented guy started playing hockey under the supervision of Subedar Major Tiwari. Thanks to the fantastic performance in this game, he was called “Lance Naik” in 1927 and Subedar in 1936. After that, he was chosen as the captain of the Indian national hockey team.
In general, he managed to score around 400 international goals and around 1000 in his entire career. This man was a very talented player. Once, even his stick was broken intentionally to check if it has any magnet inside. Beyond this, he was also awarded the Padma Bhushan Award in 1956.
In 2012, the government of India announced that the first National Sports Day will be celebrated on the birthday of this legendary player as the Indian National Sports day.
National Sports Day of India Celebration
Now, let’s move on to the celebration of this holiday. What is so special about this day? How do Indians celebrate it?
National Sports Day is celebrated on August 29 at the national level. Major celebrations take place in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where all outstanding athletes get awards for their fantastic performances from the President of India.
This day is mostly devoted to various sporting competitions and events for both kids and adults. Beyond this, various seminars are held and their main goal is to demonstrate awareness of the significance of physical activities and sports in life. Overall, this day is a fair opportunity to relax, spend time with friends or family, and take part in various competitions.
India’s National Sports Awards
Even though we have already found out the National sports day date, there are many more crucial and exciting activities happening on this day. Here’s a list of major awards Indian sportsmen get:
| # | National Sports Awards | Notable Recipients | Instituted in | Eligibility | Reward |
| 1 | Arjuna Award | Virat Kohli, Baichung Bhutia, Sania Mirza | 1961 | recognizes the achievements of the athletes in the previous season | Rs 15, 00,000 /- |
| 2 | Dhyan Chand Award | Manpreet Singh, Syed Hakim, Sathi Geeta | 2002 | is given to athletes with great lifetime achievements | Rs 10, 00,000 /- |
| 3 | Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award | Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Mary Kom, Rohit Sharma | 1991-92 | the most outstanding performers usually get this award | Rs 25, 00,000 /- |
| 4 | Dronacharya Award | Pullela Gopichand, Mahavir Singh Phogat, MK Kaushik | 1985 | the best coaches in India who contributed to the development of national sports get this award | Rs 15, 00,000 /- |
| 5 | Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar | Tata Steel, JSW sports, Army Institute of Sports | 2009 | recognizes the achievements in 4 different categories | a citation and a trophy |
It goes without saying that Sports Day in India is celebrated throughout the whole country.
It’s an honor and acknowledgment for Indians to get this award. For instance, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (today renamed into Major Dhyan Chand Sport Jewel Award) is considered the most important sporting honor in this country. The recipients are usually chosen by a special committee established by the Ministry.
For example, in 2021, 12 Indian sportsmen got this award. Among them are Neeraj Chopra (athletics), Ravi Kumar Dahiya (freestyle wrestling), Lovlina Borgohain (boxing), Avani Lekhara (paralympic shooting), and Krishna Nagar (para-badminton).
What Is the National Sport of India?
A golden era of Indian sport was from 1928 to 1956, when hockey was the most popular sport. During this period, India managed to win six gold medals at the Olympic games. In current times, sport is spreading among different cities and millions of fans in India. And therefore, there is a broad selection of games ranging from simple tribal games to the following National sports of India:
- cricket,
- field hockey,
- football,
- badminton,
- kabaddi.
Due to the diversity of culture, there’s also a variety of sporting disciplines. However, cricket is still the most popular game so far. India hosted and managed to win the Cricket World Cup several times. At the Olympic games, field hockey is considered the most successful sport; the Indian team was a proud owner of 13 Olympic medals.
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National Sports Day Quotes
Indian sports day is celebrated every year and millions of Indians are looking forward to this holiday. Let’s review some of the quotes from well-known sports people that boost morale and promote the unity of spirit:
- “If I, being a mother of two, can win a medal, so can you all. Take me as an example and don’t give up.” – Mary Kom.
- “You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.” – Michael Phelps.
- “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter.
Wrapping Up
Well, it’s time to sum up what has been said about this holiday. Well, when is National Sports Day in India? Indians celebrate this holiday every year, on August 29. This day is a commemoration of a talented hockey player, Dhyan Chand Singh. Beyond this, the holiday is also a reminder of the need of going in for sports.
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FAQ
Whose birthday is celebrated as national sports day?
Dhyan Chand’s birthday is celebrated on August 29 to honor the Indian hockey legend and demonstrate that sporting activities are crucially important for our well-being.
When was Major Dhyan Chand born?
Major Dhyan Chand was born on August 29, 1905.
When was national sports day first celebrated in India?
For the first time, National Sports Day in India was celebrated in 2012 on August 29, the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand.