New Delhi: The Union sports ministry has planned a three-day nationwide sports and fitness movement to mark the National Sports Day, celebrated every year on August 29, the birth anniversary of hockey legend Dhyan Chand.
The celebrations will be led by the Fit India Mission and organised over three days (August 29-31) under the theme ‘Ek Ghanta, Khel ke Maidan Main’ (one hour on the sports field). The movement seeks to spread awareness about the importance of dedicating at least an hour daily to physical activity to prevent lifestyle diseases. Schools, colleges, universities, youth clubs and other stakeholders and community groups are joining hands to make it a nationwide festival.
“I call upon every citizen to dedicate Ek Ghanta Khel Ke Maidan Main on August 29 and be a part of this jan andolan,” sunion sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said. “We want to turn our sporting culture into a nationwide movement,” he said, adding that it will be a celebration of the Olympic values of ‘excellence, friendship, and respect’.
Eminent athletes and public figures will take part in the celebrations in various cities. Top sports persons will be going to playgrounds at state capitals and districts on August 29 and motivate people to spend time doing sports. Sumit Antil, Shreyasi Singh, Bhavani Devi, Vishnu Saravanan and Pranav Soorma are among India’s leading athletes who will be part of the activity. Eminent athletes like Abhinav Bindra, Sunil Chhetri, Murali Sreeshankar, PV Sindhu, Manika Batra and Mirabai Chanu have urged people to participate.
The celebrations seek to include people of all age-groups – from children playing indigenous games to youth sports competitions, yoga sessions and cycling rallies to fitness walks for senior citizens. Institutions are being encouraged to use the Fit India Mobile App for participation, tracking and citizen engagement.
Several states and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, have kicked off sports activities and awareness programmes in the run-up to National Sports Day, a statement from the sports ministry said.
“Chief Ministers across Bharat are personally monitoring the preparations and most of them will join the National Sports Day event on 29th August from their respective state capitals, adding further momentum to the Jan Andolan. Aligned with India’s vision of hosting the Olympic Games in 2036, the celebrations aim to foster a culture of mass participation in sports and fitness activities across Bharat. The vision is to unite the entire nation to celebrate inclusively, embracing modern sports and traditional indigenous games.”
The three-day festival:
Aug 29: Tributes to Dhyan Chand and the Fit India Pledge followed by one hour of playing sports
Aug 30: Sports debates, fitness talks and competitions in indigenous and other sports like kho-kho, kabaddi, volleyball, sack race, tug-of-war, etc.
Aug 31: Fit India Sundays on Cycle – a nationwide drive to promote cycling as an integral part of life.
