The Silent Beginnings: Did you know that the first National Sports Day was celebrated in 2012? It honors the birth anniversary of the legendary Indian hockey player, Major Dhyan Chand.
National Sports Day
1. Unbreakable Record: National Sports Day witnessed a remarkable achievement in 2007, when blindfolded chess grandmaster George Koltanowski played 56 consecutive chess games, winning 50 and drawing 6!
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National Sports Day
1. Inspirational Paralympians: Para-athletes have their moment too! This day also celebrates the remarkable accomplishments of differently-abled athletes who have defied odds to excel in sports.
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National Sports Day
2Hockey's Heartbeat: India's most successful hockey captain, Dhyan Chand, scored over 1000 goals in his career. But did you know he used to practice by hitting a hockey ball against the wings of a flying bird?
National Sports Day
Marathon Marvel: Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila won the 1960 Rome Olympics marathon running barefoot and repeated the feat in 1964, this time with shoes.
National Sports Day
1. Jesse Owens' Triumph: During the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in track and field, shattering Hitler's Aryan supremacy myth.
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National Sports Day
21. Indigenous Sport: Kabaddi, a popular sport played during National Sports Day, is an ancient Indian game dating back over 4,000 years.
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National Sports Day
2Volleyball Genesis: Volleyball was originally called "Mintonette," designed as a less strenuous indoor sport for older men.
National Sports Day
The Marathon's Origin: The modern marathon race traces its roots to a Greek soldier, Pheidippides, who ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver news of victory against the Persians.
National Sports Day
Unusual Football Match: The shortest international football match in history lasted only 11 seconds. Bahrain's Nawaf Al-Meshaal scored just after kickoff against Saudi Arabia in 2009.