Punjab games kick off

Ludhiana: Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Punjab Games here saw a thin gathering at Guru Nanak Dev Stadium. Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal inaugurated the state level games on Monday night but a majority of the spectators came to have a look at Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who performed during the opening ceremony.
The Punjab government has taken this initiative for promoting sports in the state but empty seats in the stadium on the opening day had a different tale to tell.
Director, sports, Punjab, Pargat Singh informed that 5000 players from Amritsar, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Patiala, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, Sangrur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Tarn Taran and Ludhiana participated in the march-past of the Punjab games-2011.
Pargat said that boxing, wrestling, volley ball, athletics, basketball, kabaddi, football, tug-of-war, hockey and shooting competitions would be held during the games.
During the opening ceremony, cops had a tough time managing sportspersons who surrounded the stage, the moment Punjabi singer and actor Harbhajan Mann started performing. It was left to the cops to persuade the sportspersons to organize themselves for the march-past.
The captain of the Indian hockey team, Rajpal Singh carried the torch during the opening ceremony which was also carried by Olympians of the state Harwant Kaur, Mandeep Kaur, Manjeet Kaur, Amardeep Singh, Gurbaj Singh and Navjot Kaur.
Later, international basketball player, Talwinder Singh took the oath on behalf of sportsmen for playing in the games in a fair manner, showing true sportsmanship.
In his speech, Sukhbir welcomed the players and urged them to play fairly. Veteran Olympians of the state were also honoured during the opening ceremony.
Ricky, one of the spectators, said these games would help instill the spirit of sportsmanship among the youth, while adding that through these games, the authorities could also spot some good sportspersons.
Hundreds of government officials and cops were deployed for the preparation of the opening ceremony.
Traffic was also hampered due to the arrival of VVIPs in the city.
Preeti, a city resident said that its good that such games are organized by the government, but the government should also be sensitive towards the comman man and ensure that they are not inconvenienced.
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, Punjabi singer and actor Harbhajan Mann and comedian Gurpreet Guggi enthralled the crowd with their performance (*during the opening ceremony.Even performances by the artiste of North zone cultural center was also highly appreciated by the spectators.
The games will continue till the March 6. They have been divided into three groups. The first group consists of hockey and shooting. Hockey matches will be conducted in Jalandhar and shooting in Mohali. The second group would be organized at Patiala which includes boxing, weightlifting, wrestling and volleyball. In the third group the games are athletics, basketball, football, kabaddi and tug of war which will be conducted at Ludhiana. The matches would be played under flood lights and telecast live. A prize money of Rs 21 lakh each discipline will be disbursed among winners. The first three position holder teams in each discipline shall take home a cash prize of Rs 9 lakh, Rs 7 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, respectively.