Chandigarh: Punjab Education minister Harjot Singh Bains on Tuesday formally inaugurated the 69th National School Games at Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, marking the start of a major national sporting event that has drawn young athletes from across the country.
Players from all states and Union Territories, along with teams from Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and Vidya Bharati schools, are participating in the Games being held from January 6 to January 11.
Addressing the gathering, the Education minister Harjot Singh Bains said, “During the 69th National School Games, competitions will be organised in Judo Under-14 for boys and girls, Taekwondo Under-14 for girls, Gatka Under-19 for boys and girls.”
He added that the matches would be conducted at multiple venues across the city, saying, “These competitions will be held at BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Shastri Nagar, Government Senior Secondary School, PAU Ludhiana and the Open Air Theatre at PAU, Ludhiana.”
Calling the event a matter of pride for Punjab and the host city, S Harjot Singh Bains said, “It is a matter of great pride for Punjab and for Ludhiana that the 69th National School Games are being organised here. Around 1,000 sportspersons and more than 350 coaches have arrived from different parts of the country, including Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Andhra Pradesh and the North East.”
Highlighting the state government’s focus on sports infrastructure, the Education minister said, “The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is continuously striving to expand sports infrastructure in the state. Construction work of 3,100 playgrounds in villages and cities is underway at a war footing in the first phase, with the vision of ensuring that every village in Punjab will have its own sports ground.”
Referring to capacity building in sports, Minister Harjot Singh Bains said, “Coaches are being recruited on a large scale in sports nurseries for boxing, hockey, kabaddi and other sports, and the diet of players has also been increased so that they can train and perform better.”