Jalandhar: Young athletes shine at the 69th State School Games
Jalandhar: Under the aegis of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, the 69th State School Games 2025-26 began in various districts of Punjab. In Jalandhar, Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat inaugurated the state-level chess under-14 (boys/girls) and kurash under-14, 17, and 19 (boys) tournaments at Sai Das AS Senior Secondary School, Patel Chowk. The event began with the release of balloons, marking the official start of the competitions. The inter-district chess competition is being held at Sai Das AS Senior Secondary School, while the kurash competition is being held at the School of Eminence, Ladowali Road. Minister Bhagat emphasized the importance of both physical strength in kurash and mental development in chess. He commended teachers for their valuable contributions to students’ education and sports and highlighted the state’s initiative to build 3,000 playgrounds to combat drug addiction through sports.
District Education Officer (Secondary Education) Dr. Gurinderjit Kaur, Deputy District Education Officer (Secondary Education) Rajiv Joshi, District Sports Coordinator Amandeep Kaundal, and other officials welcomed the chief guest and presented mementos. Dr. Kaur wished the players well and expressed hope that they would bring laurels to the state in national competitions. International referee and lecturer Surinder Kumar reported that players from 23 districts are participating in the chess and kurash tournaments. He also assured that the participants are receiving all the necessary facilities, including accommodation and food, as per the Punjab Education Department’s directives. After two rounds of competition, the following districts are leading in the chess tournament: Jalandhar, Sangrur, and Ferozepur in the boys’ category; and Patiala, SAS Nagar, and Sangrur in the girls’ category. The judges for the chess competitions were Shilpa Gera, Anurag Bhardwaj, Kashish Sharma, and Ashok Kumar.
In the Kurash Under-17 competition, the 40 kg weight category saw the winners being Arvind Kumar of Jalandhar (first), Karan of Fazilka (second), Ranveer of Gurdaspur and Arush Sharma of Hoshiarpur (joint third). In the 45 kg weight category, Karan of Jalandhar won first, Bavish of Gurdaspur second, and Arshdeep of Bathinda and Arshdeep Singh of Ludhiana jointly placed third. Media in-charge Harjeet Singh shared the results, highlighting the competitive spirit and talent displayed by the participants. At the Under-17 Girls Judo Tournament held at the School of Eminence, the students displayed impressive strength, skill, and discipline in various weight categories. Aarushi Nanda of Jalandhar won first place in the 70 kg category, followed by Gurnoor of Sri Amritsar Sahib in second place, while Navya (Ludhiana) and Ekmanur (Gurdaspur) tied for third. Other top performers included: 48 kg category: Deepika (Fazilka) – 1st, Khanak (Jalandhar) – 2nd, Namrata (Ludhiana) and Nancy (Mansa) – 3rd; 52 kg category: Vanshika (Patiala) – 1st, Anureet Boparai (Gurdaspur) – 2nd, Veronica (Jalandhar) and Avni (Fazilka) – 3rd; 63 kg category: Jesna Ahuja (Patiala) – 1st, Khushi (Jalandhar) – 2nd, Shagun (Ludhiana) and Tanishka (Mohali) – 3rd. The winners were awarded medals by the distinguished guests.
