Youth athletes' achievements on National Sports Day: New initiative with banner posters

National Sports Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm on 12 November 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex in Delhi. The day was organized specifically to raise awareness about sports among youth, with 5,000 students from 150 different schools participating. The program featured welcome addresses by the President of the National Sports Federation, Yogesh Kumar, and the Sports Minister, Rekha Singh. The main attraction of this year’s program was the banner poster campaign, which visually presented inspiring stories of young athletes.

The program began at 10 a.m., when all participants were gathered on the main field of the sports complex. There, national Olympic medalist runner Rajesh Shukla delivered an inspiring speech, encouraging youth to adopt a healthy lifestyle. This was followed, at 15‑minute intervals, by demonstrations and competitions in various sports, with more than 200 students registered to take part.

Under this year’s key new initiative, the “Banner Poster Campaign” was implemented, producing 300 banner posters that were placed at prominent locations around the sports complex. Each poster featured a photo of a young athlete along with a brief description of his or her achievements and an inspirational quote. The purpose of these posters was to encourage students to realize their dreams and to show that success can be achieved through hard work.

Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex Director Sumit Verma said, “This initiative not only promotes sports but also generates positive thinking among students.” Sports Minister Rekha Singh added, “Our goal is to guide every child toward a healthy and prosperous life through sports.”

According to interviews, 80 % of participants reported that the banner posters inspired them and that they have increased their training routine by 30 % in the next month. In addition, 70 % of students sought support from their parents to participate in sports. Since this program, Delhi’s Sports Department has announced a 10 % higher budget allocation for 2025 to expand similar programs.

Thus, National Sports Day elevated awareness and inspiration for sports among youth to new heights, raising expectations for the emergence of even more talented athletes in the future.