Leaving no stone unturned to eradicate the menace of doping from sporting arena and weaning the youth away from this peril, the Punjab Government is all set to put in place comprehensive measures.

The state’s Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi shared the information on Friday during a meeting with the delegation from the Physical Education Foundation of India (PEFI). The delegation apprised the Minister regarding the “disastrous” effects of doping in sports on the health of sportsmen or athletes leading to their ruined careers too.

Appreciating the concerns expressed by the delegation, the Minister proposed a two-pronged strategy for tackling the doping problem in Punjab. “As part of this strategy, a clinic for coaches or physical trainers of the Schools, Colleges and the Universities would be held at Mohali in July this year which would be a two-day affair,” he said.

The Minister said that the training would be carried out on scientific lines and would be conducted by the experts of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the Physical Education Foundation of India (PEFI) with the support from Punjab Sports Department in view of making Punjab a drug free State.

In August this year, a grand seminar would be held with the participation of public so as to spread awareness on a large scale regarding the toll, doping takes on a sportsperson.

The state’s Additional Chief Secretary (Sports) Sanjay Kumar said that an MoU is also in the pipeline to be inked by the Punjab Government with PEFI with an aim to develop sports culture in the State thus paving the way for an active, healthy as well as robust lifestyle for youth of Punjab.

The state’s Sports Director Amrit Kaur Gill added that the ‘TTT’ theory of Talent, Training and Target would be put into practice in order to harness the tremendous talent and channelize the energy of Punjabi youth in a positive direction.