Punjab: State’s hockey players achieve Olympic glory

Punjab: In terms of sports, the year 2024 was definitely in the name of Punjab hockey, as eight players in the Indian team that won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics were from Punjab. Hosting the first ever I-League match in Mahilpur, the Mecca of football in Punjab, added to the joy of sports lovers. A total of eight players from Punjab contributed to India getting a bronze medal at the Olympics for the second time in a row. For the first time since the 1972 Munich Games, the Indian team won two consecutive medals in hockey at the Olympics. There is no doubt that Punjab contributed a lot to this achievement. Not only eight players, but two more players from the state were kept on stand-by for the Paris Olympics. Manpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Hardik Singh Rai and Sukhjeet Singh from Jalandhar, Harmanpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Shamsher Singh from Amritsar and debutant Jarmanpreet Singh Bal won a historic medal for the country, while Jugraj Singh from Amritsar and Krishan Bahadur Pathak from Jalandhar were in the list of reserve players. The victory proved even sweeter for the residents of Punjab as both the captain and the vice-captain hailed from Punjab. While the entire country lauded the state’s contribution to hockey, Punjab made its mark on the national football circuit by hosting an I-League match in Mahilpur, once a hub of the sport.

Interestingly, it was not the Punjab team but Delhi FC who chose the newly-built stadium as their new home ground. The Punjab Sports Department had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mohali-based Minerva Football Academy, allowing the club to use the stadium, perhaps a first in the state. The region, which is struggling to regain lost glory after the closure of JCT Football Club, got a big boost from the crowds at the stadium during the I-League match. This year, the government also proposed to set up 1,000 sports nurseries to nurture talent. Work has already begun on 260 nurseries in the first phase. 19 players from the state participated in the Paris Olympics, including six shooters, two athletes, one golfer and hockey player. Apart from this, three athletes, one para-athlete, one para-badminton player and one para-powerlifter from Punjab participated in the Paris Paralympics. Under the sports policy launched in 2023, this year 22 players received Rs 15 lakh each for preparation, which is a total of Rs 3.30 crore. Eight hockey players were given Rs one crore each, while two reserve players got Rs 15 lakh each. Other Olympians and Paralympians from the state also received Rs 15 lakh each. Last year, 11 prominent players were offered jobs in the state government. The state also organised the third edition of ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan’, which was attended by around 5 lakh players from the state. For the first time, events were also organised for para-athletes.