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Punjab govt announces ₹2.25-crore prize for Olympics gold winner
₹1.5 crore will be given to the silver medal winners and ₹1 crore to bronze medal winners, says Punjab sports minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi
In order to boost morale of the athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics, the Punjab government has announced a big cash prize for prospective medal winners from the state at the mega event starting July 23.
Addressing the state athletes who have qualified for the 2020 Summer Games, Punjab sports minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi announced that the government would hand over ₹2.25 crore to gold medal winners, ₹1.5 crore to silver medal winners and ₹1 crore to bronze medal winners.
The Punjab government has also given ₹5 lakh to state athletes to give them a push in the lead up to the games. As many as 26 athletes from Punjab are going to take part in the Tokyo Olympics. Those who attended the conference included discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur, boxer Simranjit Kaur, Tejinderpal Singh Toor from shot-put, and hockey players Gurjeet Kaur, Rupinder Pal Singh, and Harmanpreet Singh among others. Parents of some athletes also took part in the conference.
“I want to wish all of you good luck for the games and hope that you return with medals,” Sodhi said during the virtual conference on Friday. “We have already deposited ₹5 lakh in your accounts as a little encouragement,” he added.
Among those who got ₹5 lakh were Indian men’s hockey captain Manpreet Singh, ace shooters Anjum Moudgil and Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, boxer Simranjit Kaur, discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur along with para-shuttler Palak Kohli. In total, 20 hockey players, including men and women from Punjab, will be seen in action in Tokyo.
Hardeep appointed as karate coach
Sodhi also handed over the appointment letter to 23-year-old Hardeep Kaur as karate coach. She is a former international karate player from Mansa and had been struggling to make ends meet. She was promised a government job two years ago. But she could not complete her documentation owing to the ongoing pandemic, so her appointment was delayed.
