29th Sr National Men & Womens Wushu Championship inaugurated

Sas Nagar, Feb 26 (UNI) Punjab Sports, Youth & NRI Affairs Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi along with Wushu Association of India (WAI) President Bhupinder Singh Bajwa and Chandigarh University Chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu on Friday jointly inaugurated the 29th Senior National Men and Women Wushu Championship 2021 at the campus of Chandigarh University Gharuan.
More than 43 teams comprising of 1000 players from all 28 states, Union Territories, CRPF, BSF, ITBP, Services Sports Control Board are participating in the five-day National Championship.
Addressing at the inauguration ceremony of the championship, Rana Sodhi, said “The sport of Wushu which originated in China has become popular in India within a very short span of time; we are proud that our players have made a mark at the international level.”
He advocated considering Wushu not only a sport but also as a self-defense tool for women and children. “It is becoming increasingly important that women and even more so children should learn martial art for self-protection, right from the school level which is very important in modern day scenario of rising child and women harassment cases in the society,” he said.
Replying to the question on the upcoming Punjab Sports University at Patiala, the Minister informed that out of the total budget of Rs 500 crore, an initial amount of Rs 25 crore was released in 2020 for setting up the academic, administration and hostel block of the University.
In the upcoming budget, sizeable additional amount would be allocated which will speed up the work.
Reiterating Punjab government’s commitment towards promotion of sports culture, he said, “Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Punjab Sports University would go a long way in promoting Sports Science, Sports Technology, Sports Management and Sports Coaching in the state”.
He informed that Punjab government is in the process of signing an MoU with UK’s Loughborough University for offering short term courses and degree programs in sports and physical education.

Rana Sodhi further said that “Although the game of Wushu originated from China but players like Poonam Khatri, Parveen Kumar have made India proud with their achievements by winning Wushu World Championship in 2019”.
Arjuna awardee, Dronacharya Awardee International and National players of Wushu included Puja Kadian, Sandhya Rani, Bimoljit Singh and Kuldeep Handu who were honoured by the Chandigarh University during the opening ceremony of the National Wushu championship.

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