Mithapur all set to welcome Olympic hockey stars today
Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, August 10
“This may be the second successive bronze medal won by the team, but it still feels like the first. They missed the gold by a whisker. We are jubilant over their win,” says Manjit Kaur, the mother of former captain of the Indian hockey team Manpreet Singh.
After the Indian hockey team defeated Spain to bag its second consecutive Olympic bronze, Mithapur is all set to welcome the victors on Sunday. Manpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh (both from Mithapur); Sukhjeet Singh (from Rama Mandi) and Hardik Singh (from Khusropur), all of whom hail from Jalandhar, will return here tomorrow.
A roadshow will be taken out from the BSF Chowk to the Model Town Gurdwara in Jalandhar. At the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian team had broken the 41-year medal drought to bag the bronze. Mithapur village is at the cloud nine after the team’s victory.
Families of the four Jalandhar sportspersons will head to the Amritsar airport where the flight carrying the players will land at 7 am tomorrow. They will then head to the Darbar Sahib, from where the Jalandhar players will head to the city to attend the roadshow
Back at Mithapur, the welcome will be just like the last year’s celebrations — garlands, drum beats, welcome hugs from doting mothers, fathers and village elders. The players will pay obeisance at the local gurdwara and then head to their homes.
Manpreet’s mother Manjit Kaur says, “I just talked to him. He is too busy giving interviews. We are very happy. Had their player not been suspended, they would have bagged gold this time. I’m certain they will win it in the next Olympics.”
Amrik Singh Powar, general secretary, Hockey Punjab, and president of the Youth Sports Club, Mithapur, said, “Families of all 10 (Punjab) players will welcome them at the Amritsar airport. Our local players are enthused with the win. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s team got in touch with us so we expect it to be busy few days for the players.”
The village has produced six hockey Olympians — Swarup Singh (1952 Helsinki), Kulwant Singh (1972 Munich), Pargat Singh (1988,1992 and 1996), Manpreet Singh (who played at 2012, 2016 Olympics too), Mandeep Singh and Varun Kumar (wasn’t part of this year’s contingent).
Roadshow in Jalandhar
Families of the four Jalandhar sportspersons will head to the Amritsar airport where the flight carrying the players will land at 7 am on Sunday. They will then head to the Darbar Sahib, from where the Jalandhar players will head to the city to attend a roadshow.
