On the occasion of Major Dhyan Chand’s birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid respect to him. He also noted that sports had seen success recently and wished for them to continue growing in popularity throughout the nation.

The Prime Minister posted a tweet to mark National Sports Day, celebrated annually today on the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand, the legendary hockey player “Greetings on National Sports Day and tributes to Major Dhyan Chand Ji on his birth anniversary. The recent years have been great for sports. May this trend continue. May sports keep gaining popularity across India,” tweeted PM Modi.

Greetings on National Sports Day and tributes to Major Dhyan Chand Ji on his birth anniversary.

Advertisement

The recent years have been great for sports. May this trend continue. May sports keep gaining popularity across India. pic.twitter.com/g04aqModJT

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 29, 2022

Today is National Sports Day, which is observed all around the nation. On this day, people are urged to set aside some time in their schedules to engage in their favourite sport and develop the habit of doing so on a regular basis to maintain their physical and mental health.

It is observed as a remembrance of Major Dhyan Chand, who was renowned for his skill with the ball and ability to score goals.

Major Dhyan Chand, an Indian hockey player who won three gold medals in the Olympics in 1928, 1932, and 1936, was a member of the team. He scored 570 goals for India in 185 matches for the team.

Notably, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports would be executing the “Meet The Champion” campaign at 26 schools throughout the country on August 29, according to officials on Sunday, with the energy and enthusiasm hitting every street and corner across India on the eve of National Sports Day.

Nikhat Zareen, who won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) and the World Championships, Bhavina Patel, who won a medal at the Paralympics, and Manpreet Singh, who won a medal at the Tokyo Olympics are just a handful of the well-known athletes who are a part of the effort.

Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra launched the innovative “Meet the Champions” school visitation initiative in December of last year, and it has spread throughout the nation in recent months. The champion athlete gives schoolchildren an overall inspirational boost during the visit by sharing their experiences, life lessons, and dietary advice.

“With the special occasion of the National Sports Day and as a tribute to hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has now expanded the initiative to also include athletes who participated in the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games (CWG) and World Championships,” read a statement.

As part of the FIT INDIA campaign, the Sports Authority of India will also be commemorating this year’s National Sports Day through pan-Indian sporting activities with the theme “Sports as an enabler for an inclusive and fit society.” Sporting events are planned at many levels, including competitive and recreational competitions for people of all ages and professions.

The relevance of fitness and sports in India will be discussed during a special virtual discussion in the evening between Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur, Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nisith Pramanik.

(Inputs from ANI)