M A I N   N E W S

Pargat is Punjab’s Sports Director
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 21
Olympian Pargat Singh will be the new Director of Sports, Punjab. He will replace international wrestler Kartar Singh who has been reverted to his parent department of Punjab Police.

According to sources, Principal Secretary, Sports, Mr R.P.S. Pawar, informed Pargat Singh about his appointment and asked him to assume charge of his new assignment tomorrow.

After Olympian Balbir Singh, Pargat has become the fourth sportsman to head the Sports Directorate in the state, other two being late Col Raminder Singh (a son-in-law of late Mr Beant Singh) and Mr Kartar Singh. Otherwise, the department used to be headed by bureaucrats. Pargat is the second police officer to head the Department after Mr Kartar Singh.

Mr N.S. Cheema, Mr D.N. Dhir, Mr T.C. Gupta, and Mr Satish Kakkar, for example, were some of the bureaucrats, who remained Director of Sports after Mr Balbir Singh had superannuated.

Pargat Singh, the only player, to lead India in two successive Olympic Games hockey competition, is presently a Superintendent of Police. He has been associated with the Punjab Police Sports Committee as well as Surjet Hockey Academy which organises an all-India Hockey Tournament besides running a academy for young and promising hockey players of the state.

The appointment of Pargat Singh has been appreciated in sports circles.