As the name suggests, the National Stadium, later renamed Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, occupies pride of place in the list of sports venues in the country. It dates back to 1933 and was built as a gift for Delhi by the Maharaja of Bhavnagar. It happens to be located just behind India Gate, flanked by the Purana Quila on one side and Jaipur House or National Gallery of Modern Art, on the other.

The National Stadium served as the venue of the first Asian Games in 1951 as well as the host venue for the 2010 Men’s Hockey World Cup.

Before playing host to the hockey events of the Commonwealth Games, the stadium was revamped at a cost of 262 crore. Spread over 17,500 square metres, it has three synthetic pitches and has a capacity of 16,200 spectators.



The Bollywood blockbuster, Chak De, was shot in large parts in the National Stadium.