National Sports Day: PM Modi pays tributes to Major Dhyan Chand

New Delhi, Aug 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid his tributes to Major Dhyan Chand, the legendary hockey player whose birth anniversary is celebrated as National Sports Day, and said his magic with the hockey stick can never be forgotten.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Modi shared a video and wrote,''Greetings on National Sports Day and tributes to Major Dhyan Chand Ji on his birth anniversary. The recent years have been great for sports. May this trend continue. May sports keep gaining popularity across India.

Watch the video here:

National Sports Day is celebrated every year in India on August 29 since 2012 to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Dhyan Chand, who won gold medals in Olympics for India in 1928, 1932 and 1936.

It is a day to celebrate the remarkable achievements of all those exemplary sportspersons who have represented India in various sports and made our nation proud. Their tenacity and determination are outstanding.

On this day every year, the nation honours its sporting heroes with recognitions like the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dhyan Chand Award and the Dronacharya Award. These are conferred in a special ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.