Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi inaugurates National Cadet & Sub-Junior Judo Championship 2021-22 at Chandigarh University, Gharuan
CM Channi announces ultra-modern indoor Judo stadium in Punjab, grants Rs 20 Lakh for Judo Association
The National Cadet and Sub-Junior Judo Championship 2021-22 kicked off to a flying start at the sports complex of Chandigarh University, Gharuan. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab Charanjit Singh Channi inaugurated the championship, which is being organised by Punjab Judo Association under the aegis of Judo Federation of Indian.
As many as 460 players from all 28 states and 9 union territories of the country will be participating in the 5-day-long championship from 9th to 13th November, 2021. Partap Singh Bajwa, President, Judo Federation of India and Member Parliament, Rajya Sabha, S. Vikram Partap Singh Bajwa, President, Punjab Judo Association, Dev Singh Dhaliwal, Secretary, Punjab Judo Association and Satnam Singh Sandhu, Chancellor, Chandigarh University were present at the inaugural ceremony.
Speaking after the inauguration, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said that his government is committed to develop sports culture in Punjab, to eventually restore the glory of the State at national and international level.
He also announced an ultra-modern indoor Judo stadium to be constructed in Punjab, and also announced Rs 20 Lakh as grant to Punjab Judo Association for promotion of sports in the State.
“It is a great achievement for all of you to be representing your respective states at national level. Judo requires an astonishing balance between body and mind and thus, you all are extraordinary,” the chief minister, who was the chief guest in the inaugural function, told the participants.
Recalling his days as a sportsman, the chief minister said, “I was a handball player in school and college. I still remember going to different States for various events. Seeing you all here, reminded me of my old days.”
The Chief Minister also hailed the Judo Federation of India and Punjab Judo Association for organising this championship and appreciated Chandigarh University for hosting such events.
“I would also like to thank the Chancellor of Chandigarh University, Satnam Singh Sandhu, who has brought a revolution in the Indian education sector, for allowing events such as this to be hosted on university premises,” the chief minister said.
Earlier in his address, Partap Singh Bajwa, MP, Rajya Sabha and President, Judo Federation of India welcomed the participant players and wished them the best of luck for their contests ahead.
“Today’s event is remarkable for it is the first National-level tournament to be held in Punjab ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Partap Singh Bajwa.
Expressing his concern over the migration of brilliant minds of the State to foreign countries, Bajwa called for arresting the trend by opening up more avenues for the youth of the State.
“The economy of Punjab cannot sustain on Agriculture alone. Like Punjab, California in the USA is also an Agricultural State but various other industries such as food grain and food processing are predominant there. These not only help the economy grow but also help in providing suitable jobs to youth there. On the same lines, Punjab has to diversify and not merely depend upon agriculture alone so that the brilliant minds of Punjab get more avenues and stay in Punjab only,” said Bajwa.
It may be mentioned here that in this championship, competitions will be held under 18 categories in sub-junior weight category and 16 categories in cadet weight category over the next 5 days.
On the opening day of the competition, in Women's Under-40 kg weight category, Anjali of Haryana, Deepika Sahu of Chhattisgarh, Payal Patil of Madhya Pradesh and Tina Chanu H. of Manipur made it to the semi-finals after beating their opponents in pool A, B, C and D, respectively. In semi-finals, Anjali defeated Deepika Sahu and Payal Patil defeated Tina Chanu H. to enter the finals, where Anjali exhibited her best moves to defeat Payal and win the Gold medal, while Payal won Silver medal. The last bout of the category for the bronze medal would be held tomorrow between Chhattisgarh's Sapna and UP's Anjali, under the repechage round.
Similarly, in Men's Under-50 kg weight category, Lucky of Haryana, Nitin Kumar of UP, Rohit N. of Manipur and Sagar Anurag of Delhi qualified for the semi-finals after leaving their opponents in dust in pool A, B, C and D, respectively. In semi-finals, Lucky defeated Nitin to enter finals where he faced Sagar who emerged victorious over Rohit in their semi-final bout. In the final match, Sagar’s mix of aggressive play helped him score Gold Medal over Lucky who had to be content with Silver. S, Silambarasan of Tamil Nadu and Kumar Nitin of UP would be fighting for the bronze medal tomorrow, after emerging victorious under the repechage round.