Sports Conclave mark the grand finale of National Sports Day 2025 celebrations in Kolkata
Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency, Kolkata, 31st August 2025:
The final day of the National Sports Day 2025 celebrations under the Sports Authority of India, Regional Centre Kolkata, witnessed a fitting finale with the successful organisation of Sundays on Cycle in the morning, followed by the Sports Conclave at the SAI Complex, Salt Lake. Together, the two events reflected the dual spirit of the movement — mass participation and fitness on the one hand, and policy dialogue and vision-building on the other.
The day began at dawn with the Sundays on Cycle event, organised in collaboration with Coal India Limited. The programme was flagged off at 6:30 AM by Shri P.M. Prasad, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Coal India Ltd., in the presence of the Regional Director, SAI RC Kolkata, Ms. Amar Jyoti. Shri Prasad, accompanied by senior officials of Coal India and SAI, actively cycled alongside participants and commended the initiative for its role in promoting fitness and healthy living. More than 300 cycling enthusiasts took part with great enthusiasm, turning Salt Lake into a vibrant cycling track that symbolised community spirit and active lifestyles.
Later in the day, from 12:00 to 2:00 PM, the spotlight shifted to the Sports Conclave, which brought together some of the finest minds in Indian sport.
The first session, on “National Sports Bill – Towards Better Governance”, featured Dr. Boria Majumdar, Shri Sekhar Biswas, Smt. Lovely Das Gupta, and Smt. Himika Chaudhari as panelists. They discussed the qualities of leadership in sports administration, the importance of setting performance benchmarks for administrators, and expressed optimism about the forthcoming National Sports Act. The panel welcomed the proposal for a dedicated Sports Tribunal, noting its potential to ensure early and fair resolution of disputes between stakeholders and thereby
strengthen governance in sport.
The second session, on “From Grassroots to Global Podiums: India’s Road to 2036”, saw Shri Arun Lal, Shri Paul Walsh, Shri Debashis Dutta, and Shri Girish Phadnis share their insights. The discussion emphasised the importance of grassroots sports as the foundation of India’s Olympic ambitions. Renowned cricketer Arun Lal voiced concern that today’s generation is increasingly disengaged from sports in pursuit of academic marks, remarking that “children must be encouraged to choose playgrounds over phones.” The panelists collectively underscored the need to promote a culture of sport in schools and to empower physical education teachers as the eyes and ears of the sporting pyramid at its base.
Regional Director, Ms. Amar Jyoti, in her remarks, spoke about the scale of the celebrations under SAI RC Kolkata, which is the largest Regional Centre of SAI, covering six states and the Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. She noted that the programmes this year stretched from the Himalayas in Darjeeling to the southernmost point at Indira Point, from Nalanda in Bihar to Unakoti in Tripura, and even beneath the sea with the scuba tribute at Swaraj Dweep. She said these events reflected the diversity and depth of the region and carried forward the Olympic values of Excellence, Respect and Friendship.