National Sports Day in India is celebrated on August 29, on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Dhyan Chand.
August 29 every year in India is celebrated as National Sports Day in memory of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. Often called 'The Wizard' for his uncanny ability to manoeuvre the ball and score goals at will, Dhyan Chand helped India win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. MyNation remembers the hockey legend on his 113th birthday, and gives you some interesting facts about him.
1) Dhyan Chand was interested in wrestling as a young boy
2) Dhyan Chand joined the British Indian Army when he was just 16 years old
3) At the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, Dhyan Chand was the leading scorer with 14 goals. A report on India’s victory said, “This is not a game of hockey, but magic. Dhyan Chand is, in fact, the magician of hockey.”
4) India beat USA 24-1 and Japan 11-1 during the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics in which Dhyan Chand scored 12 and his brother Roop Singh scored 13 goals
5) Adolf Hitler, the Führer of Germany, was reportedly so impressed with Dhyan Chand's performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympics that he offered him German citizenship and the rank of Colonel in his army
6) Ahead of the 1936 Olympics, the walls of Berlin had posters saying, "Visit the hockey stadium to watch the Indian magician Dhyan Chand in action.”
7) Officials in the Netherlands broke his hockey stick to check if there was a magnet inside
8) Dhyan Chand was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1956
9) In 1936, Dhyan Chand lost a tooth when he collided with German goalkeeper Tito Warnholtz
10) Dhyan Chand has scored more than 400 goals in his international career
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