National Sports Day will be celebrated across the country on Thursday to commemorate the birth anniversary of Indian hockey legend Dhyan Chand.Government has approved the programme to spread sports to every corner of the country by creating a nationwide awareness about the fruitful side of sports. There would be programmes like 1 to 2 kilometres walkathon and football tournaments across colleges and various schools. Onkar Kedia, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports said a sports culture needs to be built in the country. He added that from next year onwards, State governments, NGOs and the academic institutions will be involved to create awareness of the National Sports day. The International football governing body FIFA which sees India as the next big stage for football, also welcomed this programme.