Arpinder’s memorable homecoming

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 14

It’s a memorable homecoming for Arpinder Singh, the gold medallist in the triple jump event in Asian Games 2018. After a span of around 48 years, India has got a gold medal in Asian Games. Arpinder Singh (26) had managed a best jump of 16.77 metre out of six attempts in Indonesia.

Accompanied by his coach Sukhdev Singh Pannu, he paid obeisance at the Golden Temple on Sunday. Visibly contented with the recently-introduced sports policy of the Punjab government, he said, “It is a new start for me. I am grateful to the Punjab government for recognising my achievement. I will now represent Punjab in the upcoming Asian Track and Field Championship and Tokyo Olympics,” he said.

Hailing from Harsha Chhina Ucha Kila village, near Amritsar, Arpinder got dejected by the lukewarm response of the state government and shifted his based to Haryana in 2015 owing to better infrastructure and lucrative offerings for sportspersons.

“Comparative to the neighbouring state Haryana, there was a meagre recognition to sportspersons in Punjab. Earlier, they used to award Rs 26 lakh to gold medallist in international events. Now, this prize money has been raised to Rs 1 crore by the state government. This will encourage sportspersons,” he said.

Arpinder says he practiced in Jalandhar and Ludhiana sports centres where the need was to raise the infrastructure. “There is no dearth of talent or coaching. What we need is international-level sports infrastructure. In Jalandhar and Ludhiana, the tracks need repair for the past few years but no one cared to do so,” he said.

Recipient of a gold medal in 2016 Kazakhstan Games and another gold in Sri Lanka, Arpinder at present is serving as an ONGC officer, the position he was awarded after the bronze medal he got in 2014 Commonwealth Games in the triple jump event. He was also offered a job as the DSP in Punjab Police, but he did not accept it.

Sukhdev Singh Pannu, his coach, says the Punjab government’s lucrative sports policy of awarding cash and secure jobs will show effect in the coming three years as more and more sportspersons will rise. “My suggestion to the government is to formulate a long-term policy focusing on children from an early stage and prepare them for Asian, Commonwealth and other world-level tourneys,” he said.