IEP Chandigarh, July 19
After a month’s training at the Jwala Gutta Badminton Academy in Hyderabad, one could see the excitement and enthusiasm on the faces of the players who returned to Punjab. Eight year old Yuvan Bansal, 10 year old Kamil Sabharwal, 13 year old Shivan Dhingra and 14 year old Arushi Mehta were full of confidence. These new age players now aim to reach the top in the Badminton field like Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Jwala Gutta and Lakshe Sen. Such confidence was evident in all the 34 players as they shared their training experiences with Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer. The surroundings of Punjab Bhawan Chandigarh were filled with the enthusiasm these budding sportsmen. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s dream of making Punjab the number one state in sports in the country will now be fulfilled by these players with their diligence and hard work. The 34 players sent to Hyderabad for training at their own expense by the Sports Department of Punjab will continue to receive guidance during their daily practice to further hone the lessons and techniques learned, from Dronacharya awardee and former Indian badminton coach SM Arif. After meeting with ace Indian Badminton star Jawala Gutta, every player was determined to be like her. During the meeting players also shared their experiences with Sports Minister Meet Hayer. The new techniques and the method of stretching were liked most by the players. Meet Hayer assured the sportsmen that the State Government is making all possible efforts to bring the sportsmen of Punjab onto the international stage of sports and the new sports policy will give a new direction to the sportsmen of the state. On this occasion, the players also presented a memento to Meet Hayer, which was specially sent by Jawala Gutta Academy for the Sports Minister. Director Sports Harpreet Singh Sudan said that a total of 34 badminton players in the age group of 8 to 15 years received one month of training in Hyderabad. There were 18 girls and 16 boys among them. Coach Varun Kumar and Sehnaz Khan also went with these players. At the end of the camp, the Bhangra performance presented by the players of Punjab enthralled all the players of Jwala Gutta Academy.
