Overview

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a tribute on X and said the government is committed to building a global hub for sporting excellence through infrastructure and grassroots programmes.
• Union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya pointed to the recently passed National Sports Governance Bill as a step toward making India a sporting powerhouse and urged people to spend at least one hour on the sports field.
• The Men’s Hockey Asia Cup 2025 began in Rajgir, Bihar, with eight teams in action, and the tournament doubles as a qualifier for the 2026 Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• National Sports Day honours Major Dhyan Chand, who led India to Olympic hockey gold in 1928, 1932 and 1936, and has been officially marked on his birth anniversary since 2012.
• This year’s observance carried the theme “Sport to Promote Peaceful and Inclusive Societies,” echoed by messages from athletes and teams celebrating the values of fitness, discipline and opportunity.