Yogi Adityanath Honors Athletes on National Sports Day
CM honors Dhyan Chand, rewards athletes, boosts sports.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath declared every sportsperson a societal hero and a beacon of national dedication during a vibrant National Sports Day celebration. Marking the birth anniversary of hockey icon Major Dhyan Chand, Adityanath paid tribute to the legend, honored 88 medal-winning athletes from national tournaments, and distributed appointment letters to new assistant sports trainers.
“Every sportsperson embodies discipline, coordination, and excellence, inspiring citizens to serve the nation with the same zeal,” Adityanath said at the Mohammad Shahid Hockey Stadium in Vijayant Khand, where he also watched a thrilling match between Sports Hostel and Sports College teams. He inaugurated the State Hockey Championship with a symbolic strike of the hockey ball and announced new sports infrastructure projects across various districts.
Adityanath highlighted Dhyan Chand’s legacy, noting his three Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932, and 1936, which elevated Indian hockey globally. “Major Dhyan Chand’s name evokes the image of a hockey stick for every Indian,” he said, emphasizing Uttar Pradesh’s pride in the legend’s roots in the state. He celebrated the naming of the country’s top sports award and the state’s first sports university in Meerut after Dhyan Chand, with academic programs already underway.
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The Chief Minister also recognized Uttar Pradesh’s rich hockey heritage, citing icons like K D Singh ‘Babu,’ Mohammad Shahid, Ravindra Pal, Syed Ali, Dr R P Singh, and recent Paris Olympics medalists Lalit Upadhyay and Rajkumar Pal. “A vacant mind is a devil’s workshop, but sports foster dedication to the nation,” he remarked.
Adityanath announced the establishment of sports colleges in every commissionerate and upcoming “MP Sports Competitions” across India from September 17 to October 2, alongside “MLA Sports Competitions” organized by the Sports and Youth Welfare Department. He also felicitated former Olympians, Arjuna awardees, and National Games medalists, underscoring the state’s commitment to nurturing sporting talent.
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