Punjab to pay for woman boxer’s preparations for Olympics

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government presented a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to Simranjit Kaur, the first woman boxer from the state to qualify for the Olympics. The state government would bear the entire cost of her Olympic preparations.
Punjab sports and youth affairs minister Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi presented a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to Simranjit’s mother Rajpal Kaur in Ludhiana on Tuesday. Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh had earlier called Simranjit to his office and announced to give her Rs 5 lakh from the Punjab government exchequer.
Sodhi congratulated Simranjit’s mother and said not only Punjab but also the country was proud of her as she had won a silver in the Asia Oceania Qualifier and entered the world’s largest sports arena. The minister said Simranjit would also set a precedent for those girls of Punjab who wanted to make their future in boxing.
Sodhi said it was an extraordinary achievement of the daughter of an ordinary family and every possible help would be provided by the state government. The minister said the boxer from Chakar village of Ludhiana district started making her career from the village.
She won a bronze medal at the Junior World Championship in 2013, a bronze medal at the Senior World Championship in 2018, and a silver medal at the Asian Boxing Championship in 2019. The boxer had also continued with her preparations at the Punjab Institute of Sports in Mohali.