Playwrite underlines the need to focus on rural sporting talent
The sports literature festival Playwrite presented a variety of leading personalities from the sports world here on Sunday.
The day-long discussions focused on creating an ecosystem that nurtures young talent from rural areas, especially girls, and economically disadvantaged children to compete in international sport.
Veteran ice hockey players, including Ashok Kumar, son of legendary Olympic champion Dhyan Chand, Olympic champion Surinder Singh Sodhi and former ice hockey captain Rajpal Singh, initiated the talks with sportswriter Prabhjot Singh. They shared their in-game journeys and expressed concerns about the lack of seriousness about the sport and the lack of a culture of growing with games.
The day also included a session on brave women athletes, including Reena Kaushal, the first Indian woman to ski in Antarctica, and Opender Sekhon from Bathinda, who overcame a brain tumor and major surgery to compete in various sporting events. The most heartwarming session was with school children who excel in various sports and are determined to bring laurels to the country.
In another session, tennis player Sukhmani Sahota, international skiing champion Mishael Singh Kanwal and cricketer Muskaan stressed the importance for women athletes of respect and recognition of their ability to excel in sport.
The event also included discussions on corporate involvement in sport and exploring the possibilities of CSR funds and engagements that are possible. Hartek Singh announced his company’s commitment to support any player in need and Ashish Khosla announced that any player wishing to complete their degree or post-graduate will receive tuition-free education on their online platforms and also look for sponsorship opportunities would look for athletes in need.
The Playwrite Foundation presented its annual awards to several deserving honorees including Olympic Champion SS Sodhi, Young Male Achiever Gurjoat Singh, Young Female Achiever Anjali, Outstanding Coach for Boxing Rajinder Singh, Courageous Sportsperson Reena Dharmshaktu and Special Award for Harvinder Singh.
The event also paid tribute to the late Novy Kapadia, India’s football expert, commentator and sports critic, with the release of the PlayWrite Digest dedicated to him.
The festival ended with a discussion on cricket injuries presented by Dr. Mandeep Dhillon, PGI’s orthopedic specialist.