Indian Oil Corpn lift Surjit Hockey Trophy for 6th time

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema on Saturday attended the final match of Olympian Surjit Hockey Tournament, played at Surjit Hockey Stadium.

Accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal, the minister also attended the closing ceremony of the 41st edition of the tournament. The final match was played between Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Limited, in which the IOC team lifted the trophy with a lead of 3-0.

The minister announced a discretionary grant of Rs 25 lakh for the Olympian Surjit Hockey Society to support its ongoing efforts in promoting hockey. He also promised another grant worth Rs 25 lakh during the next financial year.

He said the Punjab Government had decided to open up as many as 1,000 sports nurseries in the state.

On the occaison, the players of the 1975 Hockey World Cup-winning Indian team were also honoured, including the team’s captain, Padma Shri Ajit Pal Singh, Brig Harcharan Singh, Ashok Kumar Dhyan Chand and Aslam Sher Khan.

Olympian Surjit Singh, in whose memory the tournament is held, was a full-back player and a member of the 1975 hockey squad. Punjabi singer Jasbir Jassi captivated the audience with his performance during the closing ceremony.