New Delhi [India], August 30 (ANI): Highlighting India's growing sporting diversity, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday paid tribute to hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, whose birth anniversary is celebrated as National Sports Day.

At an event organised by the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that India's sporting landscape has undergone a significant transformation over the years, with champions emerging across multiple disciplines.

'Our world these days is not confined to hockey. In cricket, you are not just world champions but also provide something more; you provide an entire national ecosystem,' the Union Minister said.

Puri further spoke about India's modern-day sporting icons, acknowledging the contribution of players across different disciplines.

'Our heroes these days are diversified - chess champions, cricketers like Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. But when we were young, the cricketing world was not as prominent,' he said.

Reflecting on the country's rich sporting history, Puri recalled the era when Major Dhyan Chand was the face of Indian sports and one of the most iconic figures of his generation.

'The icon of that age was Major Dhyan Chand... So, I am very happy that the Prime Minister decided to name National Sports Day on the occasion of the sporting superstar of that time, Major Dhyan Chand's birth anniversary,' Puri added.

National Sports Day, observed annually on August 29 in honour of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, is a reminder of the power of sports to unite, inspire, and uplift.

The National Sports Day (NSD) 2025 celebration will be led by the Fit India Mission and organised as a three-day nationwide sports and fitness movement from August 29 to 31, under the theme 'Ek Ghanta, Khel ke Maidan Main'.

Acting on the clarion call given by Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, last week to transform this year's National Sports Day 2025 into a true people's movement, States and Union Territories (UTs) across India have begun their preparations for this mega Pan-India celebration. (ANI)