Punjab Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi on Sunday hailed the sporting talent in the state as three players and a coach have been recommended for Arjuna award and Dronacharya award respectively.
"The resurgence of Punjab in the sporting arena is around the corner as is evident from the list announced for the national sports honours such as the Arjuna award as well as the Dronacharya award," said Sodhi in a statement.
"The day is not far off when Punjab courtesy the pro-active sports initiatives of the present State government would reclaim its numero uno spot as the sports powerhouse of the country," added the minister.
Sodhi also congratulated the winners on their marvellous achievements and assured all support from the side of Punjab government for the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Three players from Punjab, namely, shooter Anjum Moudgill, athlete Tejinder Pal Singh Toor (Shotput) and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Football) have been recommended for the prestigious 'Arjuna Award'.
The athletics coach Mohinder Singh Dhillon was also recommended for the coveted 'Dronacharya Award'.
Earlier, in the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy (MAKA), the top three positions went to the universities of Punjab with the Panjab University, Chandigarh bagging the top honour followed by the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, and the Punjabi University, Patiala, respectively in the second and third places.
( With inputs from ANI )