National Sports Day is observed on 29 August every year to honour hockey wizard and legend, Major Dhyan Chand, who was born on this day in 1905 and who led India to three Olympic gold medalsin 1928, 1932, and 1936,scoring over 400 goals in a career spanning 23 years from 1926 to 1949.The first National Sports Day was celebrated on 29 Aug 2012.

The designation of a specific day as National Sports Day by the Government of India is to lay emphasis on the development of sporting culture in the country, creating and sustaining sports infrastructure and providing support at the grassroots level in order to produce world-class sports persons. In addition to the various activities held across the country to celebrate the occasion, the national awards like the Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award are also presented on this day.

The advantages accrued from sport and physical activity in our daily lives are enormous,especially for children, and on this National Sports Day, it would be worthwhile to relook at these important and perennial advantages.

* Promote physical health. Any physical activity promotes physical well-being, helps in ideal body growth, develops an aptitude for a healthier and active lifestyle, overcomes sedentary behaviour and prevents lifestyle-related health issues.

The physical activity could range from running in open areas followed by organised exercises, brisk walking, yoga, playing conventional games like kho-kho, which do not require any special infrastructure or equipment or any other activity specifically suitable as per the local conditions.

Promote mental health. The endorphin hormones released during physical activity lead to a positive mental attitude, help in stress reduction and promote overall emotional well-being. Nowadays, with the ever-growing menace of academic stress, indulging in a limited but concentrated regular physical activity can provide a highly beneficial escape from the monotonous academic routine.

It is a proven fact that a happy break provided by physical activity can lead to a much better focus and thus a better academic performance.

Promote social development. In the present day age of fierce academic competition, where excellence in individual performance is the sole goal for the children, sports provide a refreshing and conducive platform for promoting crucial social skills like teamwork, cooperation, communication and camaraderie. In the longer run, these qualities can foster better interpersonal relationships, result in enhanced social inclusion and empathy.

Promote a positive value system. Sports not only build character, but also reveal it. Any sporting activity has the potential to inculcate a feeling of sportsmanship, which shall reflect in humility in victory and grace in defeat.

Sports instil the ethics of fair play and avoidance of unfair means to achieve the desired results. The need for continued perseverance, dedication and continuous growth so vital in sports, prepares the children to face the future challenges in life with serenity.

Promote positive channelisation of the raw youth energy. The youth, by virtue of their natural hormonal disposition, are storehouse of abundant energy which needs to be channelised in a positive manner. Sports is an ideal gateway for the positive outflow of this raw energy.

It is far better that the young people are scoring goals in a football game or hitting sixes in a cricket match or sweating on a running track instead of driving recklessly on the roads and creating nuisance for others or resorting to drug abuse or indulging in other nefarious activities.

Promote a healthy lifestyle. The present lure of the younger generation towards junk food, smoking, and drinking is reflected in their performance as compared to other children in their age group, while involved in a physical sport activity.

The participation of children in sports activities and their poor performance on the field can motivate children to reflect on their present lifestyle and concentrate on the need to modify it appropriately. This can also overcome the problems created by peer pressure to indulge in an unhealthy lifestyle.

The development of a sporting culture in the country can be easily achieved by introducing young children to various sports activities in their formative years of development. While the government may create sports infrastructure, launch schemes to promote different sports, and introduce incentives to ensure adequate participation, the successful development of a sporting culture shall require the collective will and unwavering support of the parents, school authorities and the local communities.

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