Chandigarh-Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, while honouring the players of the Indian Hockey team at his official residence, said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will soon hand over letters of appointment of class one jobs to the Olympic medal winning Hockey players.
Meet Hayer said that the State Government will leave no stone unturned to make Punjab a leader in sports and Punjab, known as the nursery of hockey, will continue to lead the country in this sport. He also sought suggestions from the players to further promote the Hockey in the state. The Sports Minister also took part in deliberations regarding strengthening the infrastructure of the Hockey and starting a Hockey league in the state.
Meet Hayer said that it is a matter of pride for Punjab that there are 10 players from the state including the Captain of the team. He also wished the players for this year's Asian Games and next year's Paris Olympics Games. Advising the players not to lose heart when the results in the World Cup did not come as expected, he said that winning and losing are part of the game.
Speaking to the Indian hockey players, the Sports Minister said, “You are our pride and a role model for the youth, so you have a great influence on our young players, hence you should encourage the new players in your respective fields. Your encouragement will serve as support to the children.”
The captain of the Indian Hockey team, Harmanpreet Singh, assured the Sports Minister that in the coming competitions, they will make every effort to bring honour to the country and the state and improve their performance. Manpreet Singh, the midfielder of the team and the captain of India in the Olympic Games, thanked the Punjab Government for encouraging the players.
The Sports Minister honoured the Punjabi players who were part of the Indian hockey team, including Captain Harmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Hardik Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Varun Kumar, Shamsher Singh, Krishna Pathak and Sukhjit Singh. On this occasion, Rupinder Pal Singh, Dilpreet Singh and Simranjeet Singh who won Olympic medals were also honoured.
On the occasion, the Players gifted a hockey stick and a T-Shirt carrying the autographs of the team to the Minister.
Principal Secretary Raj Kamal Chaudhary and Director Amit Talwar were also present on this occasion.