4 years on, PU gets Sports Director; Malik given charge

Rakesh Malik, former Deputy director, Directorate of Sports, Panjab University, has been appointed as the new Director Sports of the university. The latter had recently conducted interviews in this regard.

It’s after a gap of four years that the university authorities had started proceedings to appoint a regular sports director. After the untimely death of former Director Sports Parminder Singh Ahluwalia in October 2020, the post was being looked after by the chairperson, Department of Physical Education, as an additional charge.

Malik, who is well known in the local sports circle and is also a member of the local sports association, was looking after the post of Deputy Director for over a decade now. In 2022, he joined as Director (Sports) at the Dr Harisingh Gour Central University, Sagar (Madhya Pradesh) on leave from PU.

His wife Neeru Malik has been a member of the PU’s governing body (Senate) and earlier this year had been appointed Principal, Dev Samaj College, Sector 45. She is also associated with the table tennis association and the Union Territory Cricket Association (UTCA). Malik’s daughter had this year contested the Panjab University Students Campus Council (PUCSC) elections as the presidential candidate of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and his son was an international badminton player from the city.

As per the criteria, candidates having a PhD in physical education or sports or sports science, along with an experience of at least 10 years in physical education and sports as university assistant, deputy DPEs or 10 years as College DPEs or teaching for 10 years in physical education and sports or sports science as assistant/associate professor were eligible for the post.

As many as 15 applicants had shown interest in the post after the university’s nod to recruitment in March. Two Deputy Directors at the Directorate of Sports, Panjab University, a Joint Director Sports in the UT Administration and other faculty of physical education from local and outstation colleges, including Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, and principals of some Haryana colleges had applied for the post. However, after scrutiny of documents, 14 applicants were shortlisted for the interview.

Malik’s aim will be to bring back the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy, which the university had last won for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021. “I have been a part of the university sports for quite some time now and I will be using my experience for the betterment of sports and sportspersons,” said Malik, who is likely to remain on the post for over a decade.