Sports centres to be set up in Punjab on NIS pattern: Sukhbir

Jalandhar: Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday announced setting up of two new

sports centres in Mohali and Jalandhar on the pattern of National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala to provide world class training facilities to the sports persons. Sukhbir, who was here to inaugurate 55th National School Games, said that his sole mission was to revive traditional games like Hockey and Kabaddi in the state. "We will soon start World Kabaddi league on the pattern of IPL with a prize money of Rs one crore to revive this traditional game", he announced. He also announced prize money of Rs two crore for Punjab players winning gold medal, Rs one crore for silver and Rs 50 Lakh for bronze in Olympics. He said that it is a matter of great pride for all the people of the state that in the last Olympics in Beijing, the only individual gold was won by local lad Abhinav Bindra. The sports department in Punjab has been revitalised to hunt and promote talent from rural areas and provide them specialised training, Singh said adding that the new sports policy would be implemented by January 2010. Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur while thanking Badal for taking revolutionary steps to revive traditional games, gave the information about National School Games. She said that over 4,700 students from states would vie for honours in four games including Hockey, Basket Ball, Hand Ball and Athletics during next five days. Bureau Report