Reiterating the firm commitment of the State Government to make Punjab drug-free by promotion of sports, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday vowed to make all-out efforts for restoring the pristine glory of Hockey in the state.
The Chief Minister, who received the trophy of the Men’s Hockey World Cup at his residence, said that Punjabis have always excelled in the field of hockey and have brought laurels for the State.
“It is a matter of sheer honour and pride that in the Indian Hockey squad that won a medal in Olympics after 41 years during the sports event at Tokyo, 11 players including Captain Manpreet Singh belonged to the State. Likewise, the Indian contingent that won the lone world Cup for the country in 1975 was also led by Punjab’s son Ajitpal Singh,” he said.
Maintaining that he was overwhelmed to receive the trophy for the World Hockey Cup being organized in India, Mann said that it is a matter of great pride that more than half of the team members of India which will be vying in the coming World Cup Hockey are also from Punjab. “This momentum needs to be maintained so that more medals are bagged in the coming times,” he added.
At the same time, the Chief Minister bemoaned that due to constant neglect of previous governments, despite being our national game, hockey had lagged behind in the sports arena. “Now, the State Government is making all out efforts to ensure that Hockey gets its due place in the field of sports…Concerted efforts will be made by the Government to eradicate the curse of drugs by promoting sports, especially Hockey,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that more resources will be pumped in to make sure that Hockey is revived in the state. Every effort will be made to channelize the unbounded energy of youth in a positive manner, especially in the field of sports, he added.
Mann said that the day is not far when due to strenuous efforts being made by every Punjabi game of hockey will be on the path of revival.