India marks National Sports Day with three-day Fit India campaign

India observed National Sports Day on Friday, August 29, 2025, with nationwide fitness drives and public events honoring the 120th birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. The three-day campaign, running from August 29 to 31, featured a flagship cycling rally at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi that was flagged off by Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya and mirrored by parallel events across the country.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports said the events formed part of a nationwide movement led by the Fit India Mission aimed at encouraging at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity to prevent lifestyle diseases. The ministry described the celebrations as a mass movement, saying nearly 30 crore people took part in playground activities, cycling rallies and indigenous sports competitions from more than 10,000 locations across 700 districts. Officials also noted that over 3,000 Namo Fit India Clubs for Cycling joined the events. Separately, organisers said the Fit India Sundays on Cycle initiative has reached more than 700,000 participants across about 40,000 locations since its inception.