When Is National Sports Day 2025? Date, Theme, History, Significance, Celebrations And More

National Sports Day is marked on August 29 to commemorate hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand’s birth anniversary. First observed in 1995 and nationally celebrated since 2012, the day also witnessed the launch of the Fit India Movement in 2019.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has also organised a three-day nationwide programme from August 29 to 3. 

The theme, "Ek Ghanta, Khel Ke Maidan Mein", encourages people to devote a minimum of one hour a day to sporting or fitness activity, highlighting the role of exercise in combating lifestyle-related health concerns.

The commemoration also reflects India’s commitment to the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect, as well as the Paralympic ideals of Courage, Determination, Inspiration and Equality.

The three-day event is meant to unite the country by celebrating both modern games and traditional Indian sports. The three-day programme is designed as follows:

• Aug. 29: The day begins with a tribute to Major Dhyan Chand and the Fit India pledge, followed by an hour of sports.

• Aug. 30: Interactive sessions such as debates, talks on fitness, and friendly contests in Indian and other games, including kho-kho, kabaddi, volleyball, sack races and tug of war, organised in communities nationwide.

• Aug. 31: The festival will close with Fit India Sunday on Cycle, a mass cycling initiative aimed at encouraging every citizen to see cycling as a healthy and sustainable part of daily life.

"I call upon every citizen to dedicate 'Ek Ghanta Khel Ke Maidan Main' on 29th August and be a part of this Jan Andolan," Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Sports Minister, said.

Under the banner of "Har Gali, Har Maidan, Khele Saara Hindustan", Members of Parliament and other elected representatives will join local-level programmes across the country to encourage broader community participation.

Several well-known athletes will also be part of the National Sports Day events. These include Paralympic silver medallist Pranav Soorma, double Paralympic medallist Sumit Antil, Commonwealth Games medallist shooter Shreyasi Singh, Olympian fencer Bhavani Devi and Asian Games medallist sailor Vishnu Saravanan.

"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," a PIB release said.