29 August :Today is the 103rd birthday anniversary of the hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand and this day is also celebrated as the National Sports Day. To mark this occasion, Dr M.S. Gill, Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, joined with other hockey Olympians, eminent Sports persons, officials of Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India in paying homage to hockey legend by offering floral tributes on Major Dhyan Chand’s statute in the National Stadium, here today morning.
While speaking on the occasion, Dr Gill called upon the sports persons to emulate the attributes of the great hockey magician Major Dhyan Chand in their respective games. He exhorted the sports persons and sports administrators to plan well in advance and strive hard for getting more medals in the Commonwealth Games and London Olympics. With a view to galvanise the sports persons and sports administrators in this direction, the Ministry has coined a new slogan “CHALO INDIA LONDON CHALEIN”. He further said that for imparting focused coaching and training to the potential sports persons in all games, the government has recently approved a scheme of Rs 678 crore for the next three years. For the betterment of the eminent sportspersons, the Government has also doubled their pensionary benefits.
On the occasion the prominent hockey Olympians, Shri Nandy Singh, Shri Zafar Iqbal and Shri. Ajit Pal Singh recalled Major Dhyan Chand’s attributes and interesting facets of his ‘on the field’ personality.