Patiala News:Punjab’s female cyclists, medal-winning boys and coaches honored for setting new national records in Ranchi
*Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, Chief Patron of the Association, gave away cash prizes of Rs. 25,000 each to the honoured players;
Announcement of giving Rs. 04 lakh to the association
*Punjab gets to host 2027 National Track Cycling Championship, Federation flag handed over to President Charanjit Singh Dhaliwal
*The association will provide group insurance for registered cyclists and coaches of Punjab.
*Punjab team gets ‘Best Fair Play Award’ in Ranchi Championship
The Cycling Association of Punjab today felicitated the Punjab sub-junior girls’ team and the medal-winning boys’ team for setting a new national record in the National Track Cycling Championship held in Ranchi (Jharkhand) during a function organized by the Cycling Association of Punjab at its office in Surya Complex, Patiala. The coaches of the Punjab team were also felicitated on the occasion.
Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, the chief patron of the association, a prominent industrialist and internationally associated with social service, presented cash prizes of Rs. 25,000 each to the honoured players and announced a donation of Rs. 4 lakh to the association.
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Former Punjab Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, Association President Charanjit Singh Dhaliwal, General Secretary Jagdeep Singh Kahlon, Treasurer B. S. Sudan and Vice President S. P. Singh were also present on the occasion.
General Secretary Jagdeep Singh Kahlon said that the sub-junior players of Punjab won the gold medal in the team sprint event, breaking a seven-year-old national record. This record-holding team included Japneet Kaur (father Jagdeep Singh, mother Sukhjinder Kaur), Palakpreet Kaur (father Baljinder Singh, mother Harpreet Kaur), Guntas Sandhu (father Gurmeet Singh, mother Poonamdeep Kaur) and Preeti Shah (father Ganesh Shah, mother Renu Devi).
During the function, Punjab team’s head coach Satwinder Singh, coaches Bhupinder Kumar and Ikwinder Singh and women’s coach Harpreet Kaur were honored for their training and guidance of the players.
Kahlon said that Harshveer Singh Sekhon of Punjab won the gold medal in the senior men’s 10 km scratch race. The Cycling Federation of India also gave the ‘Best Fair Play Award’ to the Punjab team for sportsmanship and discipline during the same championship.
Kahlon said that the Cycling Federation of India has assigned the hosting of the 2027 National Track Cycling Championship to Punjab. This championship will be organized by the Cycling Association of Punjab. During the event, the federation flag to be given to the host state was presented to the association’s president Charanjit Singh Dhaliwal.
President Charanjit Singh Dhaliwal congratulated the winning players, their coaches and parents and said that the national record of the sub-junior girls is the result of their continuous hard work and training provided by the coaches. He said that the executive of the association has been working for the last several months to revive cycling in Punjab.
Former Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra said that hosting Punjab is a big responsibility for the association. He said that during the preparations for the championship, special care will be taken for the smooth conduct of the competitions and the needs of the players coming from all over the country. He congratulated the Punjab team on receiving the ‘Best Fair Play Award’ and said that the players have made Punjab proud with their performance and sportsmanship.
Chief Patron Darshan Singh Dhaliwal said that the purpose of honoring the winners with cash prizes is to appreciate their hard work and encourage the new generation towards sports. He said that the breaking of the seven-year-old national record by the girls of Punjab is an inspiration for the girls who are starting to participate in cycling competitions.
Association treasurer B. S. Sudan said, “Giving cash prizes to players who win medals at the national level is a way of appreciating their hard work. By honouring the coaches on this occasion, the association has also recognised their contribution in the preparation of the players.”
Vice President of the association S. P. Singh said, “Our sub-junior girls have inspired more girls from Punjab to take up cycling by breaking a seven-year-old national record in the team sprint. Hosting the 2027 National Championships will give Punjab’s budding cyclists an opportunity to see national-level competition up close and learn from experienced players.”
Jagdeep Singh Kahlon announced that the association will provide group insurance to all cyclists and coaches of Punjab registered with it. He said that the aim of this initiative is to provide financial support to the players, coaches and their families in case of accidents.
Kahlon thanked Chief Patron Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, former Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, Senior Vice President of the Association and Chairman of Cycling Federation of India Onkar Singh and Secretary General of the Federation Maninderpal Singh for their support for the development of cycling in Punjab. He also appreciated the continuous support of Asian Championship silver medallist Kulwinder Kaur, who lives in Australia, and former national cyclist Sandeep Bajaj, who lives in Canada.
On this occasion, NSNIS, Patiala’s Chief Cycling Coach Joginder Singh, international cyclists Gurmeet Singh, Satbir Singh, sports promoter Jaspal Singh, association office bearers Rajesh Kumar Bittu and Brij Ashok Arora were also present.