Major Dhyan Chand (1905-1979): India’s first sporting superstar

Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

Major Dhyan Chand (1905-1979): India’s first sporting superstar

Prelims Only | History and Art & Culture | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Major Dhyan Chand and his contributions to hockey

Why in the News?

National Sports Day is celebrated on August 29 in India to honor the memory of “Major Dhyan Chand”, widely regarded as the first superstar of Indian hockey and arguably India’s first sporting superstar.

About Major Dhyan Chand:

	Details
Birth	Born on August 29, 1905, in Allahabad, India
Olympic Achievements	Led India to three Olympic gold medals in 1928 (Amsterdam), 1932 (Los Angeles), and 1936 (Berlin).
Career Goals	Scored 33 goals in 12 Olympic matches, nearly averaging a hat-trick per game.
Signature Skill	Renowned for his exceptional dribbling and ball control.
Anecdotes	Famous for his *stick work so effective that his hockey stick was checked for magnets;* *Declined an offer from Adolf Hitler to change nationality after the 1936 Olympics.*
National Recognition	In honour of his contributions, August 29 is celebrated as National Sports Day in India. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award was renamed the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021. It is the highest sporting award given by the *Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports* for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over four years. The award comes with a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh. The *Khel Ratna Award* was instituted in 1991-1992 and the first recipient was Chess legend Viswanathan Anand. Winners: Leander Paes, Sachin Tendulkar, Dhanraj Pillay, Pullela Gopichand, Abhinav Bindra, Anju Bobby George, Mary Kom and Rani Rampal in 2020.
Legacy	Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi is named after him, underscoring his impact on Indian sports infrastructure.

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