Ludhiana, December 24
The city played host to a variety of international and national sports championships in 2005 but the city sports persons could not make much mark in the national and international arena.
The high point was the organisation of the prestigious 25th BSA Asian Cycling Championship and the 12th Asian Junior Cycling Meet between December 11 and 18. This event brought the city on the world map. A record number of more than 500 cyclists from 24 countries competed in this eight-day sports extravaganza.
The road races were conducted on the National Highway No 1 between Doraha and Khanna while the track events were held at the Punjab Agricultural University velodrome. Defending champions South Korea finished at the top of the medals table, winning 43 medals, including 19 gold, while the hosts (only eves) with three silver medals occupied the 12th position. However, this achievement is not so small as India ended medals drought after a gap of 12 years. It was in the year 1993 that Indian cyclists had won a silver medal in in the Asian Cycling Meet in Malaysia.
The city played host to the National Snooker Championship in which a number of players of national and international repute were seen in action. A badminton team from Pakistan visited Ludhiana en route to Patiala to take part in the Indo-Pak Games held there.
Ludhiana is also known the world over for the rural festivals being held in different villages of the mega city. These festivals are organised in the winter season between November and February.
During the current year, Kila Raipur Sports Festival, Mata Sahib Kaur Gold Cup Hockey Tournament of Jarkhar, rural festival of Lalton Kalan, sports festival of Narangwal were some of the main rural sports events which attracted thousands of ruralities as well as people from the urban areas.
Kila Raipur Games, popularly known as Rural Olympics, attracted people from abroad who came to see rare human feats. The festival at Jarkhar, attracted top teams in hockey, volleyball, basketball and kabaddi.
The city was also the venue for international kabaddi tournaments. Punjabis, settled abroad visit their motherland in December, January and February and during their stay here, they organise kabaddi matches and distribute lakhs of rupees as prizes. The tournaments are Canada Gold Cup Kabaddi Tournament, Canada-America Kabaddi Cup and Lodhi International Kabaddi Cup Tournament. The organisers invite popular Punjabi singers to perform during these tournaments which help in attracting a large number of spectators from across the state.
Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, which has the distinction of producing scientists of international repute as well as sportspersons who had brought glory to the nation in the past, received the most appropriate person as its Deputy Director, Sports. Ramandeep Singh Grewal, former captain of the Indian national hockey team. He took charge in the beginning of this year. The local office of the Punjab Sports Department also got a new head in Mr Gianinder Singh. Mr Singh took charge from Mr Sohan Lal Lotey midway through this year. Mr Lotey was promoted to the post of Deputy Director and was transferred to Chandigarh.
Two major hockey tournaments were also organised in Ludhiana this year. They were All India Mohinder Partap Singh Grewal Memorial Hockey Tournament for Women in which top outfits of the country took part while in the men’s section, the All-India Jagtar Singh Memorial Tournament was held at PAU.
Guru Nanak Public School, Sarbaha Nagar was the venue for the games for special children from Punjab and those from Pakistan. The school also played host to the North Zone CBSE Schools Hockey Tournament in November.
Ludhiana shuttlers made the city proud winning the team championships (boys u-17 and u-19 years) in the CBSE schools National Badminton Tournament held at Nagpur. Raj Kumar, Gurbakash Singh, Gurrattanvir Singh, Anand Tiwari and Ashutosh, all students of the Tagore Public School, Aggar Nagar, and trainees of senior badminton coach and District Sports Officer, Ludhiana, Gianinder Singh, gave a superb performance to win the championship in both the age groups.
In cricket, Ludhiana lads excelled. The name of local lad, Gagandeep Singh Toor figured in the Indian Test team which toured Sri Lanka early this year. Three other players from the city, namely Karan Goel, Ankur Kakkar and Love Abhlish were selected in the Punjab Ranji cricket team. The upcoming
cricketers Ashish Sehgal, Dushyant Kohli, Tarun Passi and Karan Goel represented Punjab (u-22) in the Inter-State Championship while another budding lad, Geetansh Khaira, was the member of the cricket team (u-15 years).
Besides, two office-bearers of the Ludhiana District Cricket Association (LDCA) brought fame to the city. Mr Chaman Lal Malhotra, senior vice-president of the LDCA who was appointed selector to pick the North Zone team while Mr Vinod Chitkara, honorary general secretary of the association, was appointed as liaison officer of the Sri Lankan team during the second one-day played at PCA Stadium, Mohali, in November.
The infrastructure which was built as well as spruced up during the 31st edition of the National Games held here in 2001 was utilised well during the current year. The indoor multipurpose hall of the Guru Nanak Sports Complex and the basketball stadium were the venues for the National Basketball Championship held here from December 26, 2004 to January 2, 2005. Now a days, the basketball stadium is under renovation. This project will cost the Punjab Sports Department around Rs 15 lakh.
