Abhishek Vij
Cricket organizers and players spend crores. But hockey remains the national sport of the country. Punjab’s strong youth have dominated the hockey field since its inception. During the era when our hockey team won gold medals at the Olympics, most of the players on that team were from Punjab. Sansarpur, a village near Jalandhar Cantonment, is known as the nursery of Hockey.
Sansarpur has given India 14 hockey players. Five players in the Indian team at the 1968 Mexico Olympics were from this village alone; this record remains unbroken. Even today, the Surjit Hockey Academy in Punjab continues to produce hockey players for the country. India won a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Team captain Manpreet Singh and player Harmanpreet Singh were the product of this academy. Players like Ajitpal Singh, Udham Singh Kullar, Balbir Singh Senior, and Pargat Singh have brought glory to the region.
The first sports college in Punjab was established in Jalandhar. Many of its graduates became Olympians.
But over time, Punjab gradually began to disappear from the sports scene. Senior players complained that they played with all their might, and despite limited resources, they built their own strength to play for the country, but later on, they received neither decent jobs, proper respect, nor a guaranteed future. In contrast, neighboring Haryana took several steps to encourage athletes, resulting in Haryana’s reputation shining in the sports arena.As soon as the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, led by Bhagwant Singh Mann, assumed power, it adopted a policy of promoting sports. Not only were athletes rewarded and honored, but they were also provided with decent jobs.Thus, Punjab began to re-emerge in the sports scene. Punjab is now proud to host the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey 2026, an international hockey tournament, after 44 years. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who launched the “Khedaan Vatan Diyan” campaign and revived rural sports, is also challenged to organize this grand hockey event in the stadiums of Jalandhar and Mohali. This international competition will be held in October 2026. This is not just a sporting event; its success will revive Punjab’s hockey past glory. The government will provide all the necessary facilities at the sports stadiums in Jalandhar and Mohali.
After a long time, Punjab has been honored to host an international hockey tournament. Prestigious teams from India, Pakistan, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and China will participate in this major tournament. This will undoubtedly boost Punjab’s economic activity. Hotels, restaurants, and small and large businesses will also benefit. Jalandhar is already renowned nationwide for manufacturing sports equipment. The selection of Jalandhar (Sansarpur), known as the nursery of hockey, for this sporting event is the right move. By awarding the Hockey Mahakumbh to Jalandhar, the glory of Sports College Jalandhar could also be revived.
The government is providing new incentives to athletes. The Chief Minister has announced that renowned athletes who have left Punjab for employment in other states will be brought back to Punjab. It is hoped that a smiling, proud face of sports will be seen again in Punjab.