Need to lay emphasis on harnessing young talent, says former Olympian

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 23

The 35th Indian Oil Surjit Hockey Tournament began today with great pomp and show.

In his address, the MLA Pargat Singh, the former Olympian, recalled that Olympian Surjit Singh, in whose memory the tournament was organised every year, was an ideal for every budding hockey player, including him, in the 1980s. Pargat Singh lauded the role of the organising committee to hold the event every year, thereby playing a great role in producing the legends in field of Hockey.

The MLA said along with the society, the civil and police administration of the district also deserved applause for organising the event.

Declaring the event open, Pargat Singh hoped that this tournament played a key role in making Punjab a healthy, progressive and prosperous state. He also thanked the sports lovers for converging at the stadium for witnessing the gala event.

Earlier, welcoming the chief guest to the ground, the Deputy Commissioner (DC)-cum-President of the Surjit Hockey Touranment Varinder Kumar Sharma lauded Pargat Singh for remarkable achievements in the arena of sports. He said the MLA was a living legend who would continue to inspire our coming generations to excel in the field of sports. Sharma said the Punjab Government was already making strenuous efforts to promote sports in the state through the ‘Tandarust Punjab Mission’.

The DC said efforts of the Surjit Hockey for holding the tournament, in the memory of former skipper of Indian Hockey team and Olympian late Surjit Singh Randhawa, were really laudable.

He expressed hope that the tournament would offer an opportunity to the million of Hockey lovers to enjoy the gala event. Sharma also expressed hope that the prestigious tournament would enable the young players to exhibit their unbounded talent so that they could be further groomed for the international events.

MLA Pargat Singh, Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar Varinder Kumar Sharma and Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar inaugurated the mega event here at Surjit Hockey Stadium, Burlton park.

At the very outset, the members of the organising committee and dignitaries observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to the victims of the tragic railway mishap that took place at Amritsar, a few days back. On the first day of the Surjit Hockey Tournament, match was played between Pb & Sindh bank and CRPF in which the former won with 2-1.