Sports dept adds nine events in gradation list

LUDHIANA: Acting on the recommendations of the committee constituted by the state government, Punjab sports department has added nine events to its gradation list to enable sportspersons to be eligible for admission to medical and engineering colleges through CET and PMT tests with effect from the next year.
Disclosing this after felicitating volleyball finals of state women games underway here, sports department joint director DS Longia told TNN that a notification has already been issued in August in this regard. This was one of the 26 recommendations made by the committee constituted by the government under the chairmanship of ADGP R S Gill for formulating new state sports policy for which the chief minister Amarinder Singh has already given his nod.
The matter is to be put before the council of ministers for its approval, he said.
The committee has recommended inclusion of softball, power lifting, rowing, bodybuilding, golf, roller skating, netball, yachting and canoeing for gradation under the proposed new sports policy. The existing list recognizes 23 sports disciplines for gradation.
Under the new dispensation, all the players bagging gold, silver and bronze medals in Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asia Games, SAF Games besides achievements in national, state and inter-district competitions would be graded.
The rationale behind this is to cover the maximum sports under admission quota for the sportspersons as good number of seats reserved for them reportedly remained unfulfilled, he said. The sportspersons are eligible for 2 per cent reservation under the existing policy.
The department has also made provision to consider the achievements of sportspersons in the added sports for gradation prior to issuance of the notification.