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CHANDIGARH: On Sunday, Punjab sports minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi says Olympian Lakha Singh, who has recently won the prestigious Dhyanchand award for lifetime achievement in sports and games will get a coaching job in the Punjab sports department.
Singh, a five-time national champion, who represented India at the Atlanta Olympics, was forced to drive a rented taxi in Ludhiana for survival.
“Lakha Singh would be given the job of coach in the sports department. I have instructed the director of sports to take the immediate action and appoint him as a boxing coach by the end of this month,” said Gurmit Sodhi.
“I am glad that the Punjab government has finally acknowledged my achievements,” Singh told TOI from his village, Burj Littan, in Ludhiana.
His dream is to produce future Olympians. “I want to train the future generation of boxers. I will dedicate the rest of my life to boxing. Hopefully, in a few years someone from Punjab will win an Olympic medal” he said.
In another major announcement, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi said that the Lifetime Achievement awardees will automatically be eligible for the Maharaja Ranjit Singh award.
“The winners of Arjuna and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards are already entitled to receive Maharaja Ranjit Singh awards. The policy will now cover all the National Sports Award winners and from now onwards the Lifetime Achievement winners would automatically be considered as eligible for Maharaja Ranjit Singh awards,” said Sodhi.
“The necessary changes in this regard would be made in the sports policy,” he added.
Singh, a five-time national champion, who represented India at the Atlanta Olympics, was forced to drive a rented taxi in Ludhiana for survival.
“Lakha Singh would be given the job of coach in the sports department. I have instructed the director of sports to take the immediate action and appoint him as a boxing coach by the end of this month,” said Gurmit Sodhi.
“I am glad that the Punjab government has finally acknowledged my achievements,” Singh told TOI from his village, Burj Littan, in Ludhiana.
His dream is to produce future Olympians. “I want to train the future generation of boxers. I will dedicate the rest of my life to boxing. Hopefully, in a few years someone from Punjab will win an Olympic medal” he said.
In another major announcement, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi said that the Lifetime Achievement awardees will automatically be eligible for the Maharaja Ranjit Singh award.
“The winners of Arjuna and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awards are already entitled to receive Maharaja Ranjit Singh awards. The policy will now cover all the National Sports Award winners and from now onwards the Lifetime Achievement winners would automatically be considered as eligible for Maharaja Ranjit Singh awards,” said Sodhi.
“The necessary changes in this regard would be made in the sports policy,” he added.
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