A total of 32 sportspersons from Punjab won medals at the Asian Games, and their efforts were recognised with cash prizes amounting to Rs 29.95 crore.
The Punjab government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has always been serious about sports in the state. In 2023, their sports minister, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, announced the launch of ‘New Sports Policy 2023,’ and that changed the face of sports in Punjab.
Under this policy, it was announced that the winners of gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Olympic Games will be given cash rewards of Rs 3 crore, Rs 2 crore, and Rs 1 crore, respectively. There was a rise in gold and silver medal winners, while the reward for bronze medal winners didn’t witness a hike.
Apart from this, the Punjab Cabinet also aimed to focus on training, incentives, world-class infrastructure, and jobs for athletes. At the same time, the state government also honoured its athletes who did well at the Asian Games 2022 (that happened in 2023).
A total of 32 sportspersons from Punjab won medals at the Asian Games, and their efforts were recognised with cash prizes amounting to Rs 29.95 crore. Moreover, 136 athletes from Punjab secured medals at the National Games, and they were even awarded cash prizes of Rs 4.58 crore by the government. Apart from these cash prizes, the government also created a separate cadre of 500 posts for medal-winning players, for which they got job guarantees.
This highlights Punjab’s commitment to developing world-class athletes. Also, recognising the athletes who did well at the highest level or national level has led to motivating them to continue doing well. At the same time, it has also led to more athletes coming up and wanting to do well not only for the state but also for the country.
The Mann-led administration has also made an effort to financially aid athletes to prepare for top tournaments like the Asian Games and the Olympics, among many others. Moreover, the medal winners in the Special Olympics, Deaf Olympics, Para World Games, badminton’s Thomas Cup, Uber Cup, BWF World Tour Final, and Azlan Shah Hockey Cup, among other tournaments, have been rewarded with cash prizes time and again.
Moreover, under the new sports policy in 2023, the state government decided to establish around 1,000 sports nurseries to nurture the talent in the state and has lived up to its promise as well.
As Punjab continues its journey to establish itself as a leading state in sports in the nation, the initiatives taken by its government are certainly a step to follow for others as well. One shouldn’t be surprised if Punjab ends up becoming the top state in India in sports in the near future, thanks to its sustained investment in infrastructure, athlete development, and community engagement.
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