National Sports Day 2025 – August 29

National Sports Day (NSD), also known as Rashtriya Khel Divas, is annually observed across India on 29th August to commemorate the birth anniversary of Major Dyan Chand Singh, a legendary field hockey player in Indian sports, widely regarded as the ‘Wizard of Hockey’.

• 29th August 2025 marks the celebration of the 14th NSD.

Background:

Declaration: In 2012, the Government of India (GoI) announced that 29 August would be observed annually as National Sports Day (NSD) to honor the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand.

First Observation: The 1st National Sports Day was celebrated on 29 August 2012.

About Major Dhyan Chand:

Birth: He was born on 29 August 1905 in Allahabad, British India (now Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, UP)

Olympic Achievements: Represented India and contributed to three consecutive Olympic gold medals:

• 1928 Summer Olympics, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 1932 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles, United States of America (USA)
• 1936 Summer Olympics, Berlin, Germany

Autobiography: His autobiography, “Goal!”, was published in 1952 by Sport & Pastime, Chennai (Tamil Nadu, TN).

Award: In 1956, the Government of India (GoI) honoured Major Dhyan Chand with the Padma Bhushan in the field of Sports.

Dhyan Chand Award: Instituted in 2002 to recognise lifetime achievement in sports and games, honoring sportspersons who have made significant contributions to sports.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: In 2021, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi announced the renaming of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honour, after Major Dhyan Chand.

Key Sports Initiatives:

Sports Authority of India (SAI) (1984): Operating under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS), it promotes national and international sports excellence through talent scouting, training, infrastructure development, and coaching support.

• It also implements key MYAS initiatives, including Khelo India, Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs), Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), and Fit India.

KIRTI (Khelo India Rising Talent Identification) (2024): Identifies and nurtures athletes aged 9–18 via 174 Talent Assessment Centres (TAC) using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics, building a pipeline for top-10 global sporting status by 2036.

National Sports Governance Act 2025: Enacted on 18 August 2025 to ensure transparency, accountability, and athlete welfare, including Safe Sports Policy, Code of Ethics, and age/tenure limits for office bearers.

Khelo Bharat Niti 2025: Launched in July 2025 to transform sports into a nationwide movement, integrate with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and institutionalize early talent identification via KIRTI.

National Sports Award:

The National Sports Award is presented annually by the President of India on National Sports Day (August 29) to recognize athletes, coaches, and institutions for their outstanding contributions to Indian sports. Key awards include:

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: Recognises athletes for exceptional performance at the international level over the past four years.
Arjuna Award: Honours athletes for consistent national achievements, sportsmanship, and discipline.
Dronacharya Award: Awarded to coaches who have trained athletes to achieve top-level success.
Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award: Acknowledges lifetime contributions to sports, both during and after an active career.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: Given to universities excelling in inter-university sports competitions.
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar: Recognises institutions and organisations supporting sports development through corporate social responsibility (CSR), talent promotion, athlete employment, and inclusive outreach.

Note: Notable Indian athletes include Neeraj Chopra, India’s first Olympic gold medalist in javelin (Tokyo 2020), and Mirabai Chanu, a consistent international medalist in weightlifting.

2025 Event (Jan Andolan 2025):

The National Sports Day (NSD) 2025 celebrations, led by Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, MYAS, under the Fit India Mission, are being conducted as a three-day, nationwide sports and fitness movement from August 29 to 31, 2025 under the theme ‘Ek Ghanta, Khel ke Maidan Main’.

• The initiative aims to raise awareness about dedicating at least 60 minutes daily to physical activity to prevent lifestyle diseases.
• The celebrations also honour the spirit of Olympic values—Excellence, Friendship, and Respect—as well as Paralympic values—Courage, Determination, Inspiration, and Equality.

Participants: Schools, colleges, universities, Youth Clubs, Volunteers from MY Bharat and National Service Scheme (NSS), Panchayats, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), National Sports Federations (NSFs), Sports Authority of India (SAI), etc.

The three-day event includes:

Day One (29 Aug): Tributes to Major Dhyan Chand, Fit India pledge, and one hour of sports participation.
Day Two (30 Aug): Sports debates, fitness talks, and competitions in modern and traditional games.
Day Three (31 Aug): Fit India Sundays on Cycle, promoting nationwide cycling as part of fitness.

India Inaugurated First Mondo Track at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

On 29 August 2025, Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, MYAS inaugurated India’s first Mondo Track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, Delhi, ahead of the World Para-Athletics Championships scheduled from September 26 to October 5, 2025.

About Mondo Track
Mondotrack is a proprietary synthetic surface created by Mondo, a global leader in track and field surfacing. Engineered specifically for athletics, it is designed to maximize performance and minimize injury risk through advanced research and technology. Mondotrack is widely used in top-tier track and field events around the world.

Global Recognition: India became the 25th country worldwide to install the premium Mondo track surface.