Punjab to have autonomous sports school: Badal

CHANDIGARH - In a bid to promote sporting talent in the state, Punjab has proposed to set up an autonomous school of sports with its three centres of excellence at Mohali, Jalandhar and Bathinda towns.

“Punjab has lagged behind in sports partially because of lack of focus, thin spread of resources and faulty administration of various sports bodies headed by non professionals,” Deputy chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who holds the sports portfolio, said Sunday.

“We will identify 10 national games in which Punjab can win medals in the international competitions. Each centre of excellence would have requisite infrastructure of international standards, to handle three to four of these games,” he added.

These centres will be constructed with private participation and they would be financially self-sufficient.

The proposed sports policy will be notified in the first week of January.

Badal also directed the sports secretary to work out an incentive system for the players, coaches and sports administrators to boost their morale.