National Sports Day: Celebrating Madhya Pradesh's Athletes

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): On this National Sports Day, we recall the sports persons born in Madhya Pradesh who brought pride to the state by representing India in Olympics. For these athletes, there is no greater joy than competing at the highest level and wearing the tricolor on the world stage.  

Roop Singh: Roop Singh was born in Jabalpur. He was a hockey player and younger brother of legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand. He was a member of Indian field hockey team that secured gold medal in 1932 and 1936 Olympic games.  

Aslam Sher Khan: Hailing from Bhopal, Aslam Sher Khan is the son of gold medal-winning hockey player Ahmed Sher Khan. Aslam is best remembered for his pivotal penalty corner conversion in dying minutes of 1975 World Cup semi-final against Malaysia. He also represented India at 1972 Munich Olympics.  

Inam-ur Rahman: Inam-ur Rahman is an Indian field hockey player who hails from Bhopal and competed at 1968 Summer Olympics, where he was a part of bronze medal winning team.

Pappu Yadav: An Indian wrestler from Indore, Pappu Yadav competed in 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.  

Syed Jalaluddin Rizvi: A former field hockey player from Bhopal, Jalaluddin Rizvi represented India in 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He played as a right-winger. Rizvi told Free Press that there was no greater joy than representing the country in Olympics. Every player dreams of Olympics and no words can describe the feeling of achieving that, he said.

Vivek Sagar Prasad: A native of Itarsi (Narmadapuram), Vivek Sagar Prasad is an Indian field hockey midfielder and a two-time Olympian bronze medallist. He won first bronze at Tokyo Olympics and recently added another at 2024 Paris Olympics. “Winning an Olympic medal was always my dream, and to do it consecutively is the ultimate reward,” Sagar said.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar: Born in Ratanpur village in Khargone district, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar is a two-time Olympian shooter. He represented India at 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics. Tomar said, “I always dreamt of playing on the big stage and worked day and night for it.”