National Sports Day 2022: Why is August 29 observed as Rashtriya Khel Divas? History and Significance

File image (Source: Twitter)

Major Dhyan Chand, often referred to as 'The Wizard' for his incredible hockey skills, was born on August 29, 1905, to a Rajput family in Allahabad. To commemorate his birth anniversary, in 2012, the Government of India decided to celebrate 29th August as the country's 'National Sports Day'. On this day every year, the President of India gives out all the sports-related awards like the Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna to honour sports persons and coaches who have made the nation proud with their service in their respective sports.

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. pic.twitter.com/g04aqModJT

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 29, 2022

Dhyan Chand turned up to join the Army, just like his father Rameshwar Singh. It was in the Army where Dhyan Chand took up hockey. His original name was Dhyan Singh, but as he used to practice at night only in moonlight, as there were no floodlights in India then, his friends and partners provided him with the name 'Chand', meaning the moon. He captained India throughout his playing career and helped India win three Olympic medals – in 1928, 1932 and 1936. He scored more than 400 goals in his career which spanned over 22 years. During the 1936 Berlin Olympic finals Chand top scored with three goals and the Indians won easily, defeating Germany 8-1. That match represented the pinnacle of India’s hockey success; guided and inspired by Chand, they made for a virtually invincible team.

Dhyan Chand contributed to the game even after his retirement; he was the Hockey Coach Chief at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala for a while, and he also taught at many coaching camps in Rajasthan. Dhyan Chand is arguably the greatest sportsperson that India has ever produced. It is not surprising that the Government decided to celebrate his birthday as the National Sports Day of the country.