YEARENDER: Packed stadiums, new sports facilities and room for more
Mullanpur stadium hosted its first T20 International | New indoor sports complex, all-weather swimming pool announced
From an international cricketing debut to the promise of new sports complexes and a new all-weather swimming pool, 2025 gave local sports enthusiasts plenty to cheer about.
In a year to remember for cricket lovers, the newly built Maharaja Yadavindra International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur hosted three international matches. The stadium’s first taste of international action came with two Women’s ODI matches between India and Australia, followed by a men’s T20 International between India and South Africa. The latter saw the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) earn Rs 6.5 crore — its highest ever revenue.
The UT Sports Department, meanwhile, announced its decision to build a sports complex over three acres of land in Ram Darbar. Earmarking of another 20 acres at the Sector 42 sports complex for a multipurpose indoor sports hall and an Olympics-sized swimming pool doubled the joy.
The department also overtook the Sector 10 Tennis Sports Complex from the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) after a gap of almost three decades. The body was the first in the city to run its operations from a major chunk of government land given on lease for years. However, the lease contract was terminated following non-compliance of its terms in September.
Work to turn the Sector 38 sports complex into a Centre of Excellence for Badminton also got off the ground, while the plan for the city’s second all-weather pool swimming pool also came to fruition. The work for the latter, currently underway at the Sector 39 facility, is likely to be completed by next month.
Looking to foster a strong sporting culture, the UT Sports Department implemented policy announcements for sportspersons. It also introduced a dedicated state policy for players with disabilities and increased the grant for local sports associations for hosting events.
The department distributed scholarships amounting to Rs 1.32 crore to 320 athletes and cash awards of Rs 5.67 crore to 448 sportspersons. It was followed by the felicitation of 1,630 sportspersons with scholarships worth Rs 7.12 crore and cash prizes to the tune of Rs 7.22 lakh to 12 former and current coaches. In a downside though, some international-level players claimed to have been denied awards.
Elections to sporting bodies were also mired with controversies. Despite the involvement of the UT Administration, the Chandigarh Olympic Association (COA) elections were delayed owing to internal politics. Keeping up with its two-decade record, the COA didn’t conduct the state games even this year.
The 20th All-India Administrator’s Football Challenge Cup, the Chandigarh Marathon and Administrator’s Challenge Badminton Cup were also pushed to next year.
The PCA also hosted its office-bearers’ elections, but the Mohali MLA resigned from the post of general secretary within a few days of being elected unanimously.
