3,000 sports stadiums to be constructed in villages, says CM Mann

Jalandhar, Sep 27 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said 3,000 sports stadiums will be constructed in villages across the state to give a fillip to sports.

He also said his government would restore the pristine glory of hockey in the state.

Addressing a gathering during the final match of the Punjab Hockey League 2025 here, the CM said that the start of the junior hockey league was a matter of immense pride for the state.

The league was inaugurated in Mohali, and the finals were played in Jalandhar.

This is the first-ever junior league started in India.

Mann termed the final a momentous occasion as great hockey players from Punjab converged here at Surjit Hockey Stadium.

He said Surjit Hockey Stadium has played a very important role in the history of Indian hockey.

Players who won the 1975 Hockey World Cup and those who won the Junior World Cup in 2001 were in the stadium.

Mann said that in the Indian hockey team that recently won the Asia Cup, nine players were from Punjab, and that of both the last two Olympics, where India won medals, nine players were from the state.

He said Jalandhar is called the sports capital, and the Burlton Park, Surjit Hockey Stadium, and Sports College are famous across the world.

The bronze-winning team at the Paris Olympic Games had four players from Jalandhar — Manpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Hardik Singh, and Sukhjeet Singh.

Mann said footballs, rugby balls, and other sports equipment made in Jalandhar are used in World Cups and Commonwealth Games.

He said the world's top batsmen play with cricket bats made in Jalandhar, adding that the roots of sports in Punjab began in Jalandhar.

Mann said cricketer Harbhajan Singh, also born in Jalandhar, made India proud worldwide, and he was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member for his contribution to the game of cricket.

The Punjab government has appointed seven players as deputy superintendents of police and four players as PCS officers, among whom were nine hockey players, one cricketer, and one athlete.

Mann said the sports event 'Khedan Watan Punjab Dian' has already played a key role in making the state a sports hub. He said the campaign has acted as a catalyst to wean away youth from drugs. PTI CHS VN VN