SPORT

National Games preparation reviewed
From Our Correspondent

LUDHIANA, Aug 23 — Money poses no problem for the holding of National Games scheduled for March 2001. The Union Government has deposited Rs 18.5 crore and a number of private companies have contacted the organising committee of the games for sponsoring the event.

Disclosing this here yesterday after attending a meeting to review the preparations of the games, Mr Viswajeet Khanna, Special Secretary, Sports, said a number of companies, besides offering sponsorship, had also agreed to provide equipment free of cost for the games. He informed that negotiations were on with the companies and soon the official sponsors would be announced.

While Mr Inderjit Singh Bindra, Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Services, who presided over the meeting, evaded mediapersons, the issue of the construction work of the velodrome and astroturf ground at Panjab Agriculture University (PAU) had also been resolved. According to sources, the construction plan of the PAU architect had been approved.

The construction was delayed as there was difference of opinion between the Punjab Sports Department and a PAU architect regarding the design.

Mr Khanna also informed that the government would spend Rs 2 crore on floodlights and tenders for the work had been received. The plan to cover the basketball court had also been cleared. The basic designs had been approved. Mr Khanna assured that the work would be started soon.

He said no decision had been taken so far to change the venue for National Games from Chandigarh. As far as the matter of laying synthetic track in the local Guru Nanak Dev Stadium was concerned, the work would start at the end of the monsoon. The work would take at least six weeks.

He said special care had been taken for the comfort of mediapersons as for the first time a well-equipped media centre would be set up at the venue of the games. Others who attended the meeting included Dr S S Sandhu, Municipal Commissioner, Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor of PAU, Mr J.S. Toor, Joint Director, Sports, Mr S.L. Lotey, District Sports Officer, and Mr Teja Singh, General Secretary, Punjab Basketball Association. 

Gagandeep to lead Ludhiana colts
From Our Sports Reporter

LUDHIANA, Aug 23 — Punjab Ranji Trophy player and medium pacer, Gagandeep Singh, has been named the captain of the Ludhiana under-19 team for the Dhruv Pandove Trophy inter-district tournament to be organised by the Punjab Cricket Association. This has been announced by Mr Vinod Chitkara, Honorary General Secretary of the Ludhiana District Cricket Association (LDCA). The LDCA, after the trials, has selected 23 players who will attend a coaching camp in the local Arya College from August 24 to September 2.

Ludhiana will play its first match of the tournament against Kapurthala on September 4 and 5 at Kapurthala. Those who have been selected for the camp are as follows: Gagandeep Singh, Rajan Singh, Charanjit, Varun Gupta, Tavish Gupta, Prabhjot Khatra, Rajesh Kumar, Tarun Kanish, Salil Kaushal, Gaurav Marwaha, Bhart Batra, Sanjeev Behl, Aseem Jindal, Gurpreet Khaira, Luv Abhlish, Ashish Vinayak, Ravinder Manchanda, Munish Pal Singh, Sunny Dutt, Sunny Jerath, Harkirat Singh, Jeevanjot Singh and Arvind Dhanda.

Vijay Singh will be the manager of the team and Satish Mangal and Rakesh Saini its coaches.

Death mourned

The office-bearers of various sport associations have mourned the death of Surinder Kaur, mother of the District Sports Officer (badminton), Mr Gian Inder Singh.

Mr Raj Kumar, Secretary General of the Volleyball Federation of India, Mr Balraj Sharma, Vice-President of the Swimming Federation of India, Mr Teja Singh Dhaliwal, General Secretary of the Punjab Basketball Association, Mr Ashok Aggarwal, General Secretary of the Punjab Handball Association, Mr R.S. Behl, General Secretary of the Ludhiana Badminton Association, and Mr Vinod Chitkara, General Secretay of the Ludhiana District Cricket Association, have expressed sympathy with the bereaved family.

Bhog and antim ardas ceremonies will be performed in Sukhdev Bhavan of Punjab Agricultural University here on August 27 at 12.30 pm.