Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday resolved to do everything possible to restore the glory of hockey in the state. The Chief Minister, who welcomed the Men’s Hockey World Cup trophy at his residence, said that Punjabis have always excelled in the field of hockey and have achieved many achievements for the state.
As part of its nationwide tour, the trophy of the Men’s Hockey World Cup, which is to begin in Odisha from January 13, 2023, reached Amritsar (Punjab) on Wednesday. He said that it is a matter of honor and pride that 11 players, including captain Manpreet Singh, are from the state in the Indian hockey team which won a medal in the Olympics after 41 years during the sports event in Tokyo. Mann said that similarly the Indian team which won the only World Cup for the country in 1975 was also led by Punjab’s son Ajitpal Singh. The Chief Minister said that he was overwhelmed by seeing the trophy. He said that it is a matter of great pride that more than half of the Indian team participating in the upcoming World Cup Hockey are from Punjab.
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He said that there is a need to maintain this momentum so that more medals can be won in the times to come. However, the Chief Minister said that despite being the national game, hockey has lagged behind in sports due to the continuous neglect of the previous governments. He said that the present state government is trying its best to give hockey its proper place in the field of sports. Mann said that his government would make concerted efforts to end the curse of drugs by promoting sports, especially hockey.
