Trials of govt sports school likely in April

The wait for sports trials for the government sports school is finally over. The trials are expected to be held in the first week of April.

Sports officials said a letter will also be released soon. Generally, the sports trials are held in February-March, but this time, no formal announcement regarding the dates was made which kept everyone wandering about the delay.

The official said the delay was due to the ongoing exams in schools and in a discussion with the higher authorities, it was decided that the trials will be held in April.

There are 334 seats in the day scholar wing and 120 seats in the residential wing.

Those who get selected are given training by coaches of the sports department and are also given a diet allowance. The players, who get selected for the day scholar wing, are given a diet allowance of Rs 120 per day, while those for residential wing get a diet allowance of Rs 250 every day.

Jalandhar is renowned for producing exceptional national and international players, including recipients of the prestigious Padma Shri and Arjuna awards. However, the participation in trials for the sports wings has dwindled over the years. Coaches attribute this decline to the diminishing interest of students in sports, as more of them are opting to move abroad in pursuit of different vocations.