Sports in Punjab

Punjabis are very passionate about the sports they play. This can be witnessed by the large number of sports that the residents are involved with. They excel in playing both indoor and outdoor sports not only within the state amongst themselves but also interstate and represent the country at the international level in many games. Many eminent sports persons in different field of sports are from Punjab. For promotion and development of sports in Punjab, the Department of Sports has been set up. Sports persons can get various information about upcoming competition, coaching and scholarship from the department. Emphasis is laid on development of both physical and mental capacity.

Punjab State Sports Council

Punjab has always enjoyed a very good position in sports. To improve and also retain the glory in the field of sports the Department of sports came into existence. The department mainly emphasis on introducing coaching classes, building infrastructure and also providing various sports incentives in the form of scholarships to sports persons. All this has resulted in bringing out the best in the athletes who have given good performance and achieved excellent positions in the field of international sports and also won several awards and medals.

Department of sports which is a government institute came into existence in the year 1975.The excellent performance of athletes of Punjab state in various National Championship and National Games proves the effort that continues to be provided by the Sports department for promotion of sports.

Punjab Sports Council at Present

Presently the Punjab Sports Council has 12 members which include 2 female members as well. Nominated by the Senior Vice president or the president the members should be from the sports background and should have sufficient sports experience and background too. Meetings are held twice a year amongst the members to discuss various issues. The chief Minister of Punjab acts as the President of the sports council and he is the one who heads the organization followed by the Sports Minister who is the Vice president here.

Activities of Punjab Sports Council

Various programmers have been taken up for promotion of sports in Punjab. We have stated the activities of the council below:

Medals and Awards Sponsored by Punjab State Sports Council

To encourage sportsperson the government of Punjab has chosen to recognize the achievements in the form of awards, medals and certificate. One of the most important awards presented to sportsperson in Punjab is Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award, which is given to 15 sportsperson belonging to the state every year who have excelled in their field of sports in various national championships such as Olympic, kabaddi, cricket and many more. The award comes with a scroll, cash prize of 1 lack and also Maharaja Ranjit Singh's statue.

Various Sports Associations in Punjab

Sports associations are set up for various sports in order to lay down certain rules and regulation that is required for the smooth play of the sports and also to take any disciplinary action in case of any breach of rules.  These associations are also of great help when it comes to encouraging budding players by giving them scholarships and free trainings that hones their skills.

Many Sports associations have come up in Punjab to make the sports played there more systematic. Some of such prominent associations are Amritsar District Carrom Association, Mohali District Carrom Association, Patiala District Carrom Association, Gatka Federation of India, Worker’s Sports Federation of India, Punjab Wrestling Association, Punjab Football Association, Punjab Hockey Association and many more which are situated in various part of the states for smooth playing of the sports.

Sports Infrastructure in Punjab

The government after considering the love of sports amongst the people of Punjab has built several stadiums around Punjab to facilitate the playing of the various matches that is held in the state throughout the year. The stadiums which have been built in various places around Punjab are:

Indoor Sports Played in Punjab

Since Punjab experiences long and hot summers it becomes difficult to play sports outside. Hence, various indoor sports have come up. Mostly indoor sports are played by the children in schools and in homes. Parcheesi is a very famous and a popular indigenous sports among the junior population along with Gilli-Danda. Pittu Garam is another such game which has reached the popularity charts. Girls of Punjab like playing Stapu. Apart from the above popular ones few other indoor sports like Scrabble Chess, Carom, board game (Ludo), billiards, snooker and backgammon are becoming popular as well.

Outdoor Sports Played in Punjab

Like indoor sports, outdoor sports are very popular among the people of Punjab both in the rural and urban areas. Some of the outdoor sports that are played in Punjab are:

Hockey in Punjab

Hockey being the national game of India is a favorite amongst people of Punjab as well. Various hockey grounds are there in Punjab which is of international quality and several matches have been held in such grounds both at the national and international levels. Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar and International Hockey Stadium in Ajitgarh, Ludhiana amongst others are famous fields where the game hockey is played regularly. Many hockey players from Punjab have contributed significantly to the game at all times. Some of the prominent names in this field who have gained tremendous successes are Sh. Baljit Dhillon, Sh. Baldev Singh, Sh Baljit Saini, Sh. Pargat Singh, Sh Surinder Singh Sodhi and many more. Ice hockey has also become quite popular in the recent times.

Cricket in Punjab

The sport cricket is watched closely and literally worshiped in Punjab like the rest of the country. India's most popular sport cricket is played almost at every nook and corner of the state. With the advent of IPL, “Kings XI Punjab” is the official name provided to the players who play for the state.The state has contributed in this sports by giving many prominent players who have attained success at national and international levels. Some of such players are Navjot Singh Sidhu, Kamal Passi, Manish Sharma, Munir Hussain, Vijay Mehra, and Bishan Singh Bedi and so on. Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali has witnessed some of the most exciting games in the history of Cricket.

Important Contact Information:
Punjab Cricket Association
Cricket Stadium
S.A.S Nagar
Sector 63
Mohali. - 160059
(172) 2232300 - 2232302
[email protected]

Football in Punjab

People of Punjab love the sports football too. Gurunanak Stadium in Ludhiana and Guru Gobind Singh in Jalandhar are two of the most popular stadiums where the sport is played. Punjab Football Association which is affiliated to All India Football federation has been formed for developing and encouraging the sports by arranging for various tournaments and also by controlling the football clubs within the state.

Important Contact Information:
Punjab Football Association,
C/o JCT Limited,
Phagwara – 144 401
Phone Nos. 91-1824-304019
Email ID:  [email protected]
or [email protected]

Kabbadi in Punjab

The sport Kabbadii was first developed in Punjab and since then it has become very popular not only in India but also internationally. During Berlin Olympics in the year 1936 it was introduced internationally. Because of its state of origin, most of the players are from the state.  Punjab Kabbadi association has been formed to take care of the various affairs related to the sports in the state. Sh Balwider Singh Fida and Sh Narinder Singh are players who had received the Arjuna award as well for their contribution to the sport.

Wrestling in Punjab

Known by various other names like kushti or pehlwani, wrestling was very popular since the period of the mughals. It was practiced in various parts of India including Punjab. Many eminent sports person in this field have emerged from the state and received awards and recognition both nationally and internationally. Sh Kartar Singh and Sh Randhir Singh Dheera deserve mentioning here because of their contribution to the sport as well due to recipient of Arjuna award. Dara Singh also contributed significantly. Punjab Wrestling Association have been formed for the overall development of the sport and also to provide various training to budding wrestlers and provide them with financial assistance when required.  The sport is widely played in both urban and rural areas of Punjab.

Skating in Punjab

Speed skating and roller hockey is quiet popular in Punjab. Skating rink specialized for playing the above games can be found in Leisure Valley situated in Sarabha Nagar, Ludhiana. Quite a few renowned skaters are from the city. Harshveer Sekhon is one such player who has represented country on national and international levels and won medals in the national games as well.

Kickboxing in Punjab

A martial arts sport, Kickboxing is yet another popular sport in Punjab. It was introduced in Punjab during 1995 and within a very short period of time became quite popular in the whole of Punjab. This resulted in the formation of Punjab Kickboxing Association which is recognized both by the Punjab State Sports Council and Punjab Olympic Association. PKBA ensures to provide regular trainings at all its centers throughout the year. Due to the continuous effort of the association as well as the sports person Punjab has won many reorganization in this sport in the recent years.

Important Contact Information
Punjab Kickboxing Association
Address: Sardar Basti, Street No. 5,
Sangrur - 148001
Punjab
Phone No: 01672-232984
Mobile: +91-94170-13684
Email us at: [email protected]

Basketball in Punjab

The sport basketball is widely played in Punjab. Punjab is have powerful built which makes them all the more suitable for the game. The players have participated nationally and internationally in various tournaments like Asian Games, Commonwealth games, Asian Basketball championship, FIBA Asia Champions Cup and so on. They have also won awards at many games that they participated. Punjab has much reorganization to its credit. The team of basketball players from Punjab Police has won the highest number of medals totaling to 13. Out of which 7 are gold and 6 silver at the “Senior federation cup”. Satnam Singh Bhamra is a known face as he became the youngest player to play for Punjab at the age of only 15 in the year 2011. Many players like Manmohan Singh, Anil Kumar Punj, Suman Sharma, Sajjan Singh Cheema and Parminder Singh have won the prestigious Arjuna Award.

Punjab Basketball Association of Punjab was set up quite early in the nineties and has been active since then in encouraging the players and training them to achieve excellence in the game. Sponsorships are provided to budding players. It also looks after the infrastructure required for the game and which is quite impressive in the state. There are about 14 indoor stadiums located mostly in Ludhiana, Mansa, Patiala, Jalandhar, Moga, Gurdaspur and Fatehgarh Sahib. Punjab also has 3 synthetic courts for playing basketball. Of which one is in Ludhiana and 2 in Kapurthala. It also has about 500 outdoor courts. With such infrastructure and great experienced players in this field Punjab will continue to have glorious future in this field of sports.

Important Contact Informations
Phone Number: +91 9814168717
Email- [email protected]

Sports Festival Held in Punjab

Apart from the various hockey, cricket, football and other major matches being held in various stadiums in Punjab, one can also witness yearly sport festival and marathons that happens in the state. Some popular sports festivals held are:

Kila Raipur Sports Festival- Also known by the name Rural Olympics, this very big event is held in Kila Raipur which is situated near Ludhiana. Held mostly in the month of February, this festival draws large number of tourists from all over the world. In this festival mostly competition for rural sports like cart race, rope pulling etc. are held. Almost every village organizes its own sports fair. Some of them are Dhudike's Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Sports Fair, Kalgidhar Tournament of Kamalpur etc.

Marathons- Charity marathons are held every year and many runners including eminent personalities run for some cause in various parts of Punjab.

With the number of sports association that have come up for various sports, stadiums in various corners of the state and also the variety of sports that is played and encouraged by the authorities of the state, Punjab is fast developing into a state of sports lovers.


Also Read: Sports in Amritsar | Sports Stores in Amritsar | Sports in Jalandhar | Sports Goods in Jalandhar | Sports in Khanna | Sports in Moga | Sports in Patiala | PCA Stadium in Mohali/Ajitgarh | Sports in Mohali/Ajitgarh | Sports in Barnala | Sports in Bathinda | Sports in Hoshiarpur | Sports in Ludhiana | Sports in Pathankot