Chandigarh, December 25: Under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s leadership, Punjab has reached the top position in sports across India in 2024. According to a Chief Minister’s Office spokesperson, Punjab’s new sports policy from last year led to these major achievements.
Of India’s 100 athletes in the Paris Olympics, 19 were from Punjab alone, including 10 hockey players, 6 shooters, 2 athletes, and 1 golfer. Additionally, three Punjab athletes participated in the Paris Paralympics.
Under the new sports policy, the government provided:
- Rs 15 lakh each to 22 athletes for training (total Rs 3.30 crore)
- Rs 1 crore each to 8 Punjab players in India’s bronze-medal-winning hockey team
- Rs 15 lakh each to 2 reserve players and 9 other Olympic participants
The government spent Rs 13.10 crore total on Olympic athletes and appointed 11 prominent athletes (including 9 hockey players) to PCS and DSP positions.
The state has begun establishing 260 of the planned 1,000 sports nurseries in 2024. Chief Minister Mann also launched “Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan” for the first time, which has received enthusiastic participation from athletes.
