New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Olympians Jinson Johnson and Anish Bhanwala will be the main highlights of the 63rd Fit India Sundays on Cycle event on March 1. Johnson, a former India Olympian in 2016 and the national record holder in the 1500m with a time of 3:35.24, will join the cycling event at the picturesque RK Beach in Visakhapatnam.

Johnson won a gold medal in the 1500m and a silver in the 800m at the 2018 Asian Games. He also earned a silver in the 1500m at the 2022 Asian Games, establishing himself as one of India’s most accomplished middle-distance runners.

Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist in 25m rapid fire pistol, Anish Bhanwala, along with accomplished fencer Taniksha Khatri, will participate in the cycling event in New Delhi. The event is scheduled at the iconic Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Swimming Pool Complex and is organized in collaboration with the Fire and Emergency Departments of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Bhanwala is a silver medallist in the Mixed Team event at the 2022 Cairo ISSF World Championships and secured a silver medal at the 2025 Cairo Championships. She also earned a bronze medal in the Team event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Taniksha reached the quarterfinals at the 2022 Asian Games, marking India’s best-ever performance in the Épée. They will be joined by Nancy, an ambassador for Fit India, and Akanksha Tagotra, a well-known Zumba instructor and wellness coach.

Launched in December 2024 by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya, Fit India Sundays on Cycle has become a significant mass movement, with over 25 million citizens participating across more than 250,000 locations nationwide. Part of the larger Fit India Movement launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on August 29, 2019, the campaign seeks to make fitness a daily habit and motivate behavioural change towards active lifestyles.

The Fit India Sundays on Cycle is held weekly and organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India and partners such as the Cycling Federation of India, Mallakhamb Association, Kudo Association, NaMo Cycling Clubs, Indian Rope Skipping Federation, My Bharat, and Yogasana Bharat.

The cycling drive takes place simultaneously across all States and Union Territories, including SAI Regional Centres, National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs), SAI Training Centres (STCs), Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs), and Khelo India Centres (KICs).

Parallel activities like yoga sessions by Yogasana Bharat, rope skipping displays, Kudo martial arts demonstrations, and cultural performances will transform the morning into a full-fledged fitness festival instead of merely a cycling rally. With its dual themes of #FightObesity and #PollutionKaSolution, Fit India Sundays on Cycle aims to inspire citizens to view cycling as a sustainable, accessible, and community-oriented way to stay active.

–IANS

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