Olympics hockey bronze aside, lack of grounds a hurdle for talent
Even as no new playground was added to the holy city’s landscape this year, individuals with their performances created a name for the city at international venues.
The Indian hockey team that won a bronze medal in the Paris Olympics this year contained five players who hailed from Amritsar including skipper Harmanpreet Singh. He hails from Timmowal village who secured the bronze medal in the Olympics after beating Spain in the play-off match.
However, except for hockey, no player from any other sport was chosen for the Olympics this time from this border district.
Earlier, Amritsar had been a good platform for sending youngsters to the Olympics and other international-level competitions. This time, the representation was limited only to hockey.
Experts attributed it to many reasons, prime being a dearth of playgrounds and coaches in the city. The District Sports Office has only 20 coaches. The strength of the coaches is insufficient as they do not cater to all disciplines. There are several games like gymnastics, swimming, athletics and others which require multiple coaches to reach out to budding players.
Similarly, no noticeable sports ground was added to the city which has been expanding at its seams. The unveiling of an eight-acre multipurpose indoor and outdoor sports complex in the Ranjit Avenue area in 2010 was expected to bridge the gap. However, about 14 years later, various dignitaries inaugurated the ground but actual work never took off.
Veteran players said these gaps are costing dear as the representation of sports persons in the Olympics and other international events is declining from this border district.
The city-based Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hockey Academy is a live example of catching the players young and is continuously producing players of national and international repute.
In February, the Punjab government feted four hockey stars of India, who hail from Amritsar district, by appointing them in PPS and PCS. These players were Harmanpreet Singh of Timmowal, Shamsher Singh of Attari, Dilpreet Singh of Butala and Gurjant Singh of Khaliara. They were part of the Indian hockey team which created history in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by winning a medal (bronze), that came after a gap of 41 years. Harmanpreet, Shamsher and Dilpreet were given jobs in the Punjab Police Service (PPS) and Gurjant in the Punjab Civil Service (PCS).
In August, 24-year-old Abhishek Sharma made international debut in a T20 cricket match in Zimbabwe. Two months later, he was selected as an opener in the Bangladesh series. Considered a hard-hitting lower-order batsman who also chips in as a left-arm spinner, he guided India to victory in the Under-19 Asia Cup in 2016 and has a World Cup to his name as an U-19 cricketer.
In July, Sneh Rana, an all-rounder in Indian women’s cricket team, posted at the Amritsar railway station, created a record by taking 10 wickets in the Test match against South Africa. A spin bowler, she deftly ensnared eight wickets in the first innings and scalped two more in the second innings as well. The feat earned her the Player of the Match award.
The city also hosted ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan’ this year as well.