Surjit Sports Association (Regd), Batala has demanded from the state government that the players from the state who have won gold medals in the ongoing Asian Games at Incheon (South Korea) should be rewarded with respectable cash awards and class I government jobs. The Association members said that if the Punjab government takes this decision, it would help in reviving sports culture in the state.
The gold medal winning Indian Hockey team comprises of seven Punjabi players- namely Rupinder Pal Singh (Faridkot), Dharamvir Singh (village Khairabad, Ropar), Manpreet Singh (village Mithapur, Jalandhar), Gurbaj Singh (village Malsian, Ferozepur), Gurwinder Singh Chandi (Guru Nanak Pura, Jalandhar), Akashdeep Singh (Khadoor Sahib, Tarn Taran) and Ramandeep Singh (village Meekey, Gurdaspur).
Mandeep Kaur Cheema is the eighth Punjabi player who has won gold in 4X400 m relay race held today.
While issuing a press release, here today, Prof Gurbhajan Singh Gill, chairman, Surjit Sports Association, said that the Punjab government should honour these eight gold medallists by awarding them with respectable cash awards and class I government jobs."Earlier, the Punjab government had honoured the Asian gold medallists in the year 1998 in similar manner by awarding them with class I government jobs. If our gold medallists of ongoing Asian games are honoured in same manner, it would help in boosting their morale and the state would produce more such sporting heroes," said Prof Gill.Pirthipal Singh Batala, president and Nishan Singh Randhawa, general secretary, Surjit Sports Association, Batala, have also congratulated Khushbir Kaur (20km walk silver medallist), Abhinav Bindra (shooting bronze medallist), Swaran Singh Virk (rowing bronze medallist) and Henna Sidhu (shooting silver medallist) for their achievements.