The state government plans to organise an international hockey tournament on the lines of the ongoing kabaddi world cup, education minister Sikander Singh Maluka has said.
The minister made the statement on Friday after inaugurating the 16th Malkeet Singh Sidhu memorial hockey
tournament here. "We'll invited six international teams to participate," he said. "We have green signal from deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal."
The government had laid six Astroturf surfaces already in stadiums across the state and promoted the national sport among youth, said Maluka, adding that active hockey players and sports clubs would also receive kits.
"It is shameful for the country to not win any international medal in its national sport," said the minister. "The union government is responsible for this. The state government will try to prepare strong players of kabaddi and hockey in the next four years." Former education minister Tota Singh also spoke on the occasion.