When was Natfonal Sports Day first

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celebrat·ed iln India?

2012

Wh1en W as it firs·t cel ebrated i'n India? It w.a.s

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celebrated for the first time in 2012. Why is

National Sports Day celebrated in India?
Celebrated 10 commem orate the 1
1 11 1

birth1
anniversary of Dhyan Chand. 29-Aug-2020
Question: Why do we celebrate National
S,p orts Day?

Answer: The National Sports Day is

celebrat·e d to commemorate the birth
anniversary of hockey legend Dhyan Chand
Singh.
States like Haryana, Punjab and Karnataka,
among others, organise various sporting
events and seminars aimed at spreading
awareness about the importance of physical
activities and sports in Iife.
Chand is most remembered for his
goal-scoring feats and for his three
Olympic gold medals (1928, 1932,
and 1936) in field hockey, while
India was dominant in the sport. He
joined the Indian army in 1922 and
came to prominence when he toured
New Zealand with the army team in
1926. After playing in the 1928 and
1932 Olympic Games, Chand
captained the Indian team at the
1936 Games in Berlin, scoring three
goals in the 8-1 defeat of Germany in
the final match. During India's
victorious world tour of 1932, he
scored 133 goals. Known as ''the
Wizard'' for his superb ball control,
Chand played his final international
match in 1948, having scored more
than 400 goals during his
international career.

In 1956 he retired from the army

with the rank of major. His son,
Ashok Kumar Singh, was a member
of India's Olympic field hockey
teams in the 1970s and scored the
winning goal in the 1975 World Cup
championship.
I n1
e l[IUltl lll~llti lli:ILIUll Clil llt::I U
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IIIU l.il\.CJ LCGIII
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represents India in international Field hockey

competitions, and is governed by Hockey
India. The team was form,erly under the
control of Indian Hockey Federation. India was
the first non-European team to be a part of
the International Hockey Federation.l21In
 the Indian men's team
remained unbeaten in the Olympics, winning
six gold medals in a row. The team had a 30-
0 winning streak during this time, from their
first game until losing in the 1960 gold medal
final. India also won the World Cup in 1975.
India's hocke~ team is the most successful
team ever in the Olym~ics, having won eight
gold medals in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952,
1956, 1964 and 1980. India also has the best
overall performance in Olympic history with 83
victories out of the 134 matches played. They
have also scored the most goals in the
Olympics than any other team. They are also
the only team to ever win the Olympics
without conceding a single goal in 1928 and
1956.
 The National Sports Day is
an occasion that sees the nation honour
· sporting
its . · recognI1·t·ions
·· h· eroes w1·th - 1·k
1 e th
1

.· e
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award,
Dhyan Chand Award and the Dronacharya
Award.
National Sports
Awards
Awarded by the central government, the
National Sports Awards is a recognition of
an athlete's contribution to their discipline
and the awards are conferred on National
Sports Day.
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