• Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi handed Rs 5 lakh each to Tokyo-bound athletes to procure required logistics besides giving finishing touches to their preparation ahead of the all-important games.
• Sodhi said gold winners at the Olympics would get Rs 2.25 crore as prize money, while those winning silver and bronze medals would be richer by Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 1 crore, respectively, besides a government job.

Tokyo-bound players talk to minister

Manpreet Singh (captain), Akashdeep Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Krishan Pathak, Varun Kumar, Gurinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Gursahibjit Singh, Rupinderpal Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Hardik Singh, Simranjit Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Gurjant Singh and Dilpreet Singh (all hockey players) interacted with the Sports Minister via video-conferencing.

• Punjab has a sizeable presence in the Olympic squad with 26 athletes qualifying for the sporting extravaganza to date.
• “We are expecting maximum podium finishes from Punjab with hockey as the leading contender, because half of the national hockey squad is expected to feature players from the state,” he said, claiming the new sports policy has proved extremely beneficial for budding players to ensure every facility ranging from expert coaching staff to the state-of-the-art equipment.
• The Indian contingent for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics is expected to be around 190 with 100 athletes having qualified for the mega event so far, including 56 men and 44 women.

By: Maneesh Mittal