On August 29, India celebrated its National Sports Day. The day marks the birthday of Dhyan Chand, the legendary hockey player who was a member of India’s three Olympic gold medal-winning teams (1928, 1932 and 1936).

India witnessed one of the largest sporting mobilisations in the world, as hundreds of millions across all states and union territories came together to celebrate their National Sports Day 2025. The Union Minister of Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, led the national celebrations with a floral tribute at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi. The nationwide celebrations began with a pledge, as millions of citizens reaffirmed their commitment to fitness and well-being.

As always, the day featured various sporting events at every level, inauguration of stadiums and grounds, and the announcement of prestigious national sports awards, including the Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya and the Dhyan Chand Awards, to recognise outstanding sportspersons and coaches.

Unlike India, no official national sports day is celebrated in Pakistan. This article is a plea for Pakistan to commemorate one too and suggests a possible date.

Why doesn’t Pakistan have a National Sports Day and what day of the year could possibly be designated as that?

PAKISTAN’S SPORTING MILESTONES

It is said that national and regional identity are often closely associated with sporting achievement. After its creation in 1947, it didn’t take long for Pakistan to have a world champion — Hashim Khan won the British Open Squash title in 1951. In cricket, Pakistan surprised everyone by winning the Oval Test in 1954, on their first tour of England. But the nation was waiting for Olympic glory in hockey.

There were reasons for that. 

Before Independence and Partition, the united British India team had won three consecutive Olympic Games hockey gold medals — in 1928, 1932 and 1936. Muslim players constituted a significant proportion of all these teams from India; the 1936 side included seven. Hence, not only the new nation of Pakistan but also the connoisseurs of the game expected an Indo-Pakistan final in the first post-Partition Olympiad in 1948, the first to be held after the hiatus caused by the Second World War.

Pakistan couldn’t land even a bronze, let alone a gold or silver medal, and finished fourth. At the next Olympics in 1952, Pakistan again ended in the fourth spot. There was dejection at home over the second consecutive failure. It led to serious soul-searching. A five-member committee, headed by senior civil servant Mian Riazuddin — a former Punjab University hockey player of distinction — was formed by the Pakistan Hockey Federation.

The committee made several recommendations, including that, instead of the selection committee comprising ‘quota’ representatives of all the affiliated units, a new selection committee should be formed of reputed former players only; there would be no undue pressure on the players and they could use hockey sticks and shoes of their own choice; the captain’s power and authority should be increased; and, to enhance the base of players, tournaments should be organised in all the provinces.

All this paid off. At the 1956 Olympics, Pakistan reached the final for the first time and met India there — the whole hockey world had been waiting for this. India scored the lone goal of the match through a penalty corner. It was a controversial goal, as Pakistan had not even lined up on the goal line when the hit was taken. Randhir Singh Gentle’s hit was also not legitimate, as it struck the net instead of the board.

Although Pakistan lost in the final, it signalled clearly that it had fully arrived and appeared capable of ending India’s long tenure on the throne any time. And the nation had got its first Olympic Games medal, a silver, in any sport.

THE ROME OLYMPICS

Before the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Pakistan achieved a real morale booster by winning the 1958 Asian Games hockey gold medal, albeit on goal average. India, that year, failed to win the gold for the first time at any international tournament.

Come the 1960 Olympics, it was almost the same team, playing together since 1956. Eight of the first-choice XI had played in the 1956 final against India. The team was again led by Abdul Hameed Hameedi, the lone survivor from the 1948 Olympics. Hameedi’s influence can be judged from the fact that he replaced Zafar Ahmad Khan with Zafar Hayat at virtually the last moment. 

Pakistan made a statement, winning all three pool games with ease. In the quarter-final, Pakistan found the erstwhile West Germany a hard nut to crack. Pakistan went ahead through the great centre-forward Abdul Waheed, but the Germans equalised quickly. Then left-in Naseer Bunda netted the winner.

Although Pakistan won the semi-final against Spain by a lone goal, courtesy of full-back Manzoor Hussain Atif’s penalty corner conversion, their superiority was never in doubt. Spain did waste a penalty bully (a forerunner of today’s penalty stroke).

On September 9, 1960, the stage was set for the clash of the titans in the eternal city of Rome. The Indian side, which had won six successive Olympic hockey titles, faced off against the determined and eager Pakistanis. The Green Shirts started with an all-out attack. 

In the 13th minute of the final, right-in Hameedi broke away and passed to right-out Noor Alam, who had a clear run. Noor Alam’s cross found left-in Naseer Bunda. The ball stopped dead on his stick and was flicked in a flash on to the left side of the Indian goalkeeper.

This goal proved decisive, ending India’s 32-year reign of supremacy in Olympic Games hockey. Pakistan’s dominance throughout the tournament can be judged from the fact that they scored 25 goals, with only one scored against them.

The late Mukhtar Bhatti, recognised as Pakistan’s greatest compiler of sports history, wrote: “On September 9, 1960, when Pakistan first had a touch of gold, Naseer Bunda, a diminutive forward with a subtle movement of the wrist, scored the epic goal against India at Rome, and Pakistan were crowned the new Olympic champions. This lone goal had a long history behind it — full of struggle, failures, sustained effort and dedication to the job. It was not Bunda alone, nor those 11 green-shirted Pakistanis who had all the credit, but also the Pakistan Hockey Federation, which had laboured for 12 years to make a nation’s dream come true.”

FORGING A SPORTING IDENTITY

The team received a tumultuous welcome upon their return home, with grand receptions held in all the major cities in their honour. At a reception at the President House in Karachi, the country’s capital at the time, President Ayub Khan officially declared hockey the National Game of Pakistan.

The most accepted yardstick to gauge a country’s standing in the world of sports is its tally of medals at the Olympics. Since Independence, Pakistan has won four gold, three silver and four bronze medals at the Olympics. Of these 11 medals, Pakistan’s national game, hockey, has contributed eight: three gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

On September 9, Pakistan achieved its first Olympic gold medal. The victory in the final that day resulted in hockey being declared the National Sport of Pakistan. This moment also marked the beginning of a long run of Pakistan as a sporting nation at the Olympics. So it would only be apt that September 9 be officially recognised as Pakistan’s national sports day.

The writer is a freelance sports journalist based in Lahore. He can be contacted on ijaz62@hotmail.com.X: @IjazChaudhry1

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 5th, 2025