At the Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar, the roar of the crowd was still echoing from the Punjab Hockey League finale when Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann took the mic. His message was simple but charged: Punjab, he said, will soon be India’s sporting capital.

It wasn’t just another political promise. Mann laid out a blueprint — international-standard cricket and hockey stadiums in Amritsar and Jalandhar, more than 3,000 new sports grounds across the state, and a revival of Punjab’s sporting culture that once fed India’s medal dreams.

“The day is not far when Punjab will be number one in sports,” he said, reminding the audience that nine of the 18 players in India’s Asia Cup–winning hockey team were from Punjab. That statistic, delivered with pride, drew instant applause.

The Chief Minister described the Punjab Hockey League — the country’s first junior hockey league with the highest prize money — as a “historic initiative” that united three generations of players on one turf. “It proves,” he said, “that the spirit of sports still runs in Punjab’s veins.”

Punjab’s claim as India’s sporting heartland is not new. From Jalandhar’s stick factories supplying world tournaments to its players dominating Olympic squads, the state has long lived off its legacy. What Mann promises now is to institutionalize that passion — through infrastructure and incentives.

Burlton Park in Jalandhar is being developed into a full-fledged sports centre, while Amritsar will host a “world-class sports hub.” The government, Mann said, is also backing Jalandhar’s traditional sports manufacturing industry to reclaim its global standing.

Sports, Mann added, is also Punjab’s “strongest weapon” against drugs. “It’s heartening to see the youth returning to the grounds,” he said.

The event also saw Cabinet Minister Aman Arora unveil an unusual innovation in urban planning — a bus stand in Sunam with a sports hall on the first floor. The idea: let passengers on the move share space with athletes in training. The facility will host kabaddi, judo, wrestling, and karate — a first-of-its-kind model merging mobility and sport.

Mann concluded by listing steps his government has taken to honour athletes — nine hockey players appointed as DSPs and PCS officers, Olympians felicitated, and local players recognized for their contribution.

“Punjab has led in governance, health, and education,” he said. “Now it’s time to lead in sports.”

If Mann’s roadmap holds, Amritsar and Jalandhar could soon become the twin engines of India’s sports revival — and Punjab, once again, the nursery of national champions.