CHANDIGARH, Punjab—The apex Sikh body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has set up a separate Directorate of Sports for Girls.
Hockey Olympian Arjuna Awardee Bibi Rajbir Kaur, former captain of the Indian Hockey Team, has been appointed as the director of the Directorate of Sports for Girls and Bibi Surjit Kaur Hockey Olympian as the deputy director.
An advisory committee has also been constituted of women who have made great strides in sports.
Apart from the director and deputy director, the task of chief adviser in the advisory committee has been given to Hockey Olympian gold medalist Principal Roopa Saini. The rest of the members of the advisory committee include national basketball player Bibi Harpreet Kaur Barnala, international basketball player retired principal Sumiti, former cricketer Poonam Arora, Bibi Parminder Kaur Pannu, and Bibi Rajinder Kaur national hockey players.
SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur has said that already three hockey academies are being run by the SGPC under its sports department, and special attention was being given to various sports in the schools and colleges. “In addition to this, the Directorate of Sports for Girls has been set up,” she added.
“The SGPC would provide better opportunities to girls for sports. It is gratifying that recently the academies of the SGPC have been recognized by Hockey India. By selecting the best players from among the students studying in the schools and colleges of the SGPC, they would be motivated to go ahead for various sports, and quality sports facilities would be provided for better performance”, said the SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur.
Meanwhile, Bibi Jagir Kaur honored the hockey player Baljinder Kaur of Baba Ajay Singh Khalsa College, Gurdas Nangal, Gurdaspur, with a cheque of Rs 21,000.
It is pertinent to note here that Baljinder Kaur was selected for the India Hockey Camp last year and has also made many other sporting achievements.