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FLASHBACK ’03
— PUNJAB SPORTS Restoration of glory to Indian hockey was largely due to the valuable contribution of players from Punjab. The Indian hockey team (above) exults after the historic Asia Cup win in Kuala Lumpur on September 28, 2003. — AP/PTI
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FLASHBACK ’03
— PUNJAB SPORTS
AS the year 2003
draws to a close, Punjab can sit back and take pride in its substantial
contribution towards enrichment and upliftment of Indian sports although
it did also have its share of tragedies, upheavals and flight of talent.
Restoration of glory to Indian hockey, largely due to the valuable
contribution of players from the state, title win in the Senior National
Handball Championship at Renukot, gold medal in the junior nationals
held at Ludhiana in June, bronze in the junior nationals for girls, and
JCT Phagwara's fourth position in the high profile National Football
League were some of the highlights of the year which also saw increased interest of non-resident Indians in Punjab sports. With nearly half of
the Indian hockey team comprising players from Punjab, India's title
wins Down Under and Hamburg brought cheer to the state's hockey circles.
Baljit Singh Dhillon, Gagan Ajit Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Kanwalpreet
Singh, Jugraj Singh, and Tejveer Singh became household names not only
due to the twin victories but also due to the wave of success that
followed soon after. India's fourth position in the prestigious
Champions Trophy at Amstelveen once again highlighted the contribution
of the Punjab players but it was the title win in the Asia Cup at Kuala
Lumpur in September followed by the gold medal win in the first
Afro-Asian Games at Hyderabad that made the Punjab players public
heroes. The nationwide outpouring of public sentiment and concern for
ace defender Jugraj Singh, who was seriously injured in a road accident
in early September amply demonstrated people's love for the hockey
stars. As Jugraj lay recuperating in Ludhiana's Dayanand Medical College
and Hospital, President APJ Abdul Kalam, union and state ministers,
former Olympians and sports officials prayed for his speedy
recovery. Any reference to Punjab sports remains incomplete without a
mention of Punjab Police. Hockey star Jugraj Singh's parent organization
deserves accolades not only for nurturing hockey talent but also for
promoting other disciplines. In athletics, Navpreet Singh, Jagdish
Bishnoi, and Jasmine Kaur represented India in the first Afro-Asian
Games at Hyderabad. While Navpreet and Bishnoi stood third in shot put
and javelin, Jasmine finished second in 10,000 metres walk. In boxing
Inspector Harpal Singh finished third in the super heavy category while
weightlifter Chandandeep Singh was third in the 62 kg category. Punjab
Police sportspersons also won accolades at the World Police Games at
Barcelona. Bahadur Singh, Harminder Singh, Sunita Rani, and Rajwinder
Kaur Gill excelled in their respective events. Sunita Rani and Rajwinder
established a new meet record in 400m relay. Punjab Police also won
the`A0 team championship in the All-India Police Games at Delhi securing
151 points. On the domestic front, state-level championships and
tournaments were successfully organized at various district
headquarters. The Punjab State Senior Football League featuring the
state's top outfits like JCT, PSEB, Punjab Police, BSF, and RCF was
organized under the aegis of the Punjab Football Association on
home-and-away basis at Phagwara, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, and Kapurthala
in which JCT emerged triumphant. In the seventh National Football
League, JCT, incidentally the only outfit from north India in the
12-team roster, finished fourth with 38 points. However, on conclusion
of the seventh national league, there was a flight of talent as
promising players like Hardip Gill, Hardeep Saini, Harpreet Singh and
Balkar Singh shifted their loyalty to Kolkata's Mohun Bagan. Punjab's
victory over Chattisgarh in the final of the senior national handball
and the second position in the basketball senior nationals at Hyderabad
added to the joy. At least four junior Punjab basketball players —
Jagdeep, Yadvinder, Snehpal and Amit Prashar — are now in the national
team. In domestic hockey, a depleted Punjab Police won the title in the
33rd SN Vohra's All-India Gurmit Memorial Hockey Tournament at
Chandigarh beating Punjab and Sind Bank 5-3 in the tie-breaker on
September 29. However, PSB avenged the defeat in the seventh All-India
Ramesh Chander Memorial Hockey Tournament at Jalandhar on Christmas eve
beating Punjab Police 4-0 thanks to a hat-trick by Sharanjit Singh. The
All-India Surjit Memorial Hockey Tournament also played at Jalandhar
which featured a team from Croatia, was won by Bharat Petroleum who beat
BSF 3-0 in the final. State-level tournaments, including the Principal
Harbhajan Singh Memorial Football Tournament at Mahilpur and the
Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Memorial Football Tournament at Banga were
among the regular features. The Punjab Sports Department headed by
international wrestler Kartar Singh remained in the forefront organizing
various sports festivals. The department organised the under-16 rural
sports festival at Sangrur which was won by the hosts. The National
Sports Festival organised at Jalandhar saw Punjab reigning supreme. The
Sports Department also organised the Punjab State Games for Women at
Ludhiana which drew good response. A heart-warming feature of the
Punjab sports scene this year was the increased interest shown by NRIs
in promoting sports in the state. As a result new academies like the
Mata Chanan Kaur Dhanoa Hockey Academy for girls at Jalandhar and the
Baba Lodiana Basketball Academy at Ludhiana sponsored by Mr Harjinder
Singh Dhanoa took birth in Punjab. Other academies like Surjit Academy
at Jalandhar and Master Mehar Singh Memorial Football Academy at Kurali
also showed encouraging results. Rural festivals, an inseparable part
of Punjab sports, organized at Kila Raipur, Samrala and elsewhere
provided an opportunity to greenhorns to polish their talent. Funds from
Punjabis settled abroad made the task of local organisers
easier. Despite success on various fronts, official apathy towards
ex-sports heroes invited criticism from various quarters. The plight of
former wrestler Mehardin, who is battling cancer in penury at his native
village Shahkot, drew statewide concern. In the absence of government
aid, the efforts of the Phagwara-based International Sports Association
led by Mr Kuldip Sardana and vice-president Sital Singh in rendering
financial assistance to the former hero are indeed praiseworthy. The
coming year holds much more promise. Joint sports competitions of the
two Punjabs on either side of the border may soon be a reality, thanks
to the efforts of the Director Sports, Mr Kartar Singh, and others.
Hockey teams from Lahore have already played in Amritsar and Nabha. The
city of Ludhiana is all set to usher in a new era in football when it
hosts prestigious National Football League matches under floodlights in
February-March, 2004. Will Punjab scale greater heights in the coming
year? Will a new chapter be scripted in the history of Punjab's sports
in 2004? Only time will tell. Owing to pressure on space the Sports Mail column is not being carried today. |
AS the year 2003
draws to a close, Punjab can sit back and take pride in its substantial
contribution towards enrichment and upliftment of Indian sports although
it did also have its share of tragedies, upheavals and flight of talent.
