Chandigarh:
With an aim to strengthen and develop sports culture at the grassroot level, Punjab Deputy Chief Minster Sukhbir Singh Badal today launched leagues in five sporting disciplines -- hockey, volleyball, basketball, football and handball.
Presiding over a meeting with high officials of sports department here, Badal directed them to launch local Punjab league events in which teams from all 22 districts in five disciplines would compete for titles.
Badal, as per an official release, also asked the department to provide transportation and better lodging facilities to players at each district headquarters.
Deliberating upon the arrangements of upcoming 5th World Kabbadi Cup 2014, Badal approved the schedule of World Cup, which would be held from November 29 to December 14, 2014 immediately after the World Kabbadi league.
He also directed the sports department to organise Shaheed Bhagat Singh sports tournament annually having multiple discipline competitions.
This year the event would be held at the end of October or first week of November, he said.
To set the pace for Rio Olympics, Badal asked the department to especially concentrate on shooting and wrestling as Punjab has a great potential to bag medals in these events.
To facilitate the shooters, it was also decided to establish world class shooting ranges in Mohali and Bathinda, besides providing free of cost weapons and ammunition.
Badal also emphasised on the need to engage the services sports institutes like NIS Patiala and Army Institute of Pune in this regard.
He approved the proposal regarding setting up of headquarter of Punjab State Institute of Sports at sector 78 SAS Nagar.
