Date:04/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/04/stories/2008120452440300.htm

Other States - Haryana

Badal for a national sports policy

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday underscored the need to formulate a national sports policy to ensure excellent infrastructure and training to the young players in order to compete at the International Sports events like Olympics, Asian Games and Common Wealth Games.

Presiding over a function to mark the opening of the 17th All India Forest Games here Mr. Badal said that the State government would also soon come out with a comprehensive sports policy to encourage the young sports persons to excel in their respective sports at national as well as international levels.

“Our Government had announced that the winner of the gold in the Olympics would be honoured with a prize of Rs.1 crore and Abhinav Bindra is the first recipient,” said Badal. He assured that the Punjab Government would make all efforts to promote sports in a big way in Punjab to restore its pristine glory in the field --PTI