New Delhi: Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Kiren Rijiju today paid floral tributes to a statue of Dhyan Chand on the occasion of the hockey legend’s 115th birth anniversary at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium this morning. This day is also commemorated as the National Sports Day every year.
“Today is a very important day for all of us, especially the sporting fraternity. Major Dhyan Chand’s three consecutive gold medals for India and his exemplary skills and determination makes every Indian proud. On the occasion of this National Sports Day, the govt confers the awards and I would like to congratulate all the award winners for the accolades and honours they have brought to India,” Rijiju said.
He added: “The performance of our athletes in the international level has become better. When our players perform better, they have to be recognized and rewarded. If the Govt doesn’t recognise their achievements, it will discourage every budding sporting talents we have in India. So, compared to the previous years, the performances of the Indian athletes have gone up considerably and as a result, the number of award winners have also gone up.”