Key Points

Acting on the clarion call given by Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya last week to transform this year's National Sports Day 2025 into a true people's movement, States and Union Territories (UTs) across India have begun their preparations for this mega Pan-India celebration.

Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and the UTs of Puducherry, Chandigarh and Delhi have already issued directions to their concerned departments to initiate preparations.

National Sports Day is celebrated every year on August 29 to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. First observed in 1995 and nationally celebrated since 2012, the day also witnessed the launch of the Fit India Movement in 2019, which has since become a mass fitness revolution across the country.

The movement seeks to spread awareness about the importance of dedicating at least 60 minutes daily to physical activity for preventing lifestyle diseases. The spirit of NSD 2025 also pays special tribute to Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship, Respect and Paralympic values of Courage, Determination, Inspiration, and Equality, as per a press release from the Union Sports Ministry.

This year, NSD 2025 will be celebrated as a Jan Andolan in the truest sense, with schools, colleges & universities bringing together over 35 crore students, Youth Clubs, volunteers from MY Bharat and National Service Scheme, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), Panchayats, urban local bodies (ULBs), corporates, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), National Sports Federations (NSFs), Sports Authority of India (SAI), and lakhs of community groups joining hands to make it a nationwide festival of sports and fitness.

Eminent athletes and public representatives are also set to take part in the celebrations and engage with sports activities in all corners of the nation. Renowned sportspersons will be stepping onto the playgrounds at State capitals as well as across all districts on 29th August, inspiring citizens as they come together to translate the spirit of 'Ek Ghanta, Khel ke Maidan Main' into action. With the motto 'Har Gali, Har Maidan, Khele Saara Hindustan', Members of Parliament and other public representatives will also join local programmes across Bharat to motivate people at large.

Pranav Soorma (Paris Paralympic Silver Medalist), Sumit Antil (Double Paralympic Medalist), Shreyasi Singh (Commonwealth Medalist Shooter), Bhavani Devi (Olympian Fencer) and Vishnu Saravanan (Olympian & Asian Games Medalist Sailor) are among the many leading athletes who will be joining the 29th August National Sports Day programmes from their hometowns or training bases.

Several States and UTs -- including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Andaman & Nicobar Islands -- have kicked off sports activities and awareness programmes in the run-up to National Sports Day. 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 both modern sports and traditional indigenous games. The framework for the three-day festival is as follows:

-Day One (Aug 29): Tributes to Major Dhyan Chand and the Fit India Pledge followed by one hour of playing sports.-Day Two (Aug 30): Sports debates, fitness talks and competitions in indigenous and other sports like kho-kho, kabaddi, volleyball, sack race, tug of war etc. across Bharat.-Day Three (Aug 31): The celebrations will culminate with Fit India Sundays on Cycle - a nationwide drive to promote cycling as an integral part of life.

The celebrations are designed to be inclusive of all age groups - from children playing indigenous games, to youth sports competitions, to yoga sessions and cycling rallies, to stretching exercises and fitness walks for senior citizens. Institutions are being encouraged to use the Fit India Mobile App for participation tracking and citizen engagement.

Adding to the momentum, a National Conclave on Sports Manufacturing will be held under the theme of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The Fit India App will also introduce a Carbon Savings Incentivisation feature to promote eco-friendly habits and inspire citizens towards healthier and sustainable living.

Central/State Government organisations, NSFs, PSUs, and community bodies have already started appealing to citizens to join the celebrations, with a visible buzz building on social media. In addition, eminent athletes such as Abhinav Bindra, Sunil Chhetri, Murali Sreeshankar, PV Sindhu, Manika Batra, Mirabai Chanu and others have urged people of all ages and communities to participate.

- ANI