Hockey tournaments act as fuel for players
Aakanksha N Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, August 5
It was a day of celebrations as the Indian hockey team bagged a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after a gap of 41 years. Olympians from the district expressed satisfaction over the much-needed win. Three players—Captain Manpreet Singh, Varun Kumar and Mandeep Singh — belong to the district. Most of the players have also trained at Surjit Hockey Stadium from time to time.
Today members of Sardar Balwant Singh Kapur Memorial Hockey Tournament and Mata Parkash Kaur Cup exchanged sweets on the occasion. Olympian Sanjeev Kumar said players who made the nation proud had also played the Sardar Balwant Singh Kapur Memorial Hockey Tournament. Kumar said, “Finally, the drought has ended. It is a proud moment for everyone.”
Harbhajan Singh, chief of the memorial, said it was indeed a moment of joy as the players had also marked their presence in their tournament.
The Sardar Balwant Singh Kapur Memorial Hockey Tournament has become a symbol of togetherness.
Six brothers — Gursharan Singh Kapur (82), Harbhajan Singh (79), Manjit Singh (76), Manmohan Singh Kapur (73), Tirath Singh (68) and Hardeep Singh (59) — have been organising the tournament for the last 15 years to keep memories alive of their parents.
After the death of their father, the brothers organised the first tournament in 2004. After their mother passed away in 2008, Kapur brothers named the trophy after their mother’s name ‘Mata Parkash Kaur Cup’. The winning team gets Rs 1.25 lakh, followed by Rs80,000 and Rs60,000 and Rs40,000 to the second, third and fourth teams, respectively. Six best players get Rs7,500 each.
Olympian Col Balbir Singh speaks
Olympian Col Balbir Singh expressed happiness and said it’s the revival of hockey in India. His son Col Sarfaraz Singh in 2018 had taken a hockey stick on the Mount Everest. “I told him that he should pray for the uplift of hockey in India,” said Col Balbir. “My son prayed with a hockey stick at the top of Mount Everest and it did pay off,” he said.
