The Impressive TimesNew Delhi, September 15: The Fit India Sundays on Cycle initiative completed its 40th edition, with a huge scale of participation across 8000 locations nationwide on Sunday, September 14. Organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) in collaboration with the Cycling Federation of India (CFI), Yogasana Bharat, and MY Bharat, the cycling movement has now firmly established itself as one of India’s most impactful fitness campaigns.
The Delhi edition, held at the JLN Stadium, saw enthusiastic participation and was graced by Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee Bhaichung Bhutia, who joined cyclists in the early morning rally. The edition was organised in partnership with the Akhil Bhartiya Terapanth Yuvak Parishad (ABTYP) as part of the Raktadan Amrit Mahotsav 2.0, the world’s largest blood donation drive. Also present was cricketer Sumit Kumar, who plays for Indian Premier League (IPL) side Delhi Capitals. The event was conducted in collaboration with Raahgiri Foundation and My Bikes, while the Rope Skipping activity was led by Dr. Shikha Gupta.
Bhutia expressed his delight on attending his first-ever Fit India Sundays on Cycle. “This is the 40th edition, and it feels very good. The cycling thing has picked up quite a lot—you’ve got cycling groups, runners’ groups all across, not just in the bigger cities, but even in smaller towns. Now you can see that there’s a huge mindset change in terms of staying fit. I’m sure this initiative, which has been taken 40 weeks ago by the Government of India, is going to really help a little bit,” the former skipper of the Indian football team, said.
“I think we got a lot of different kinds of people participating. There were some young people, there were quite old people as well. There were some NGOs, and there were some people connecting with different volunteer programs. So I think it’s a very good initiative. Hopefully we will try and see that India becomes more fitter and healthier,” Bhutia added.
Since its launch in December 2024, the Fit India Sundays on Cycle has become a truly pan-India movement. To date, it has engaged over 7 lakh individuals across more than 40,000 locations, from State and Union Territory capitals to Sports Authority of India (SAI) Regional Centres, National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs), SAI Training Centres (STCs), Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs), and Khelo India Centres (KICs).
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