The Playwrite sports literature festival featured a host of leading figures in the sports world here on Sunday. The focus of the day-long discussions was on creating an ecosystem that fosters young talent from rural areas, especially girls, and economically disadvantaged children to excel in international sports. Veteran hockey players, including Ashok Kumar, the son of legendary Olympian Dhyan Chand, Olympian Surinder Singh Sodhi, and former hockey captain Rajpal Singh, initiated the conversations with sports journalist Prabhjot Singh. They shared their journeys in the game and voiced their concern about the lack of seriousness towards sports and the absence of a culture of growing with games. The day also featured a session on courageous sportswomen, including Reena Kaushal, the first Indian woman to ski in Antarctica, and Opender Sekhon from Bathinda, who overcame a brain tumour and major surgery to compete in various athletic events. The most heartwarming session was with school children who are excelling 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 emphasized the importance of respect and acknowledgement of their capabilities to excel in sports for sports women. The event also featured discussions on corporate participation in sports, 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 graduation or postgraduation would be provided tuition-free education on their online platforms and would also look at sponsorship opportunities for needy sportspeople. The Playwrite Foundation conferred its annual awards on several deserving recipients, including Veteran Olympian S S 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 late Novy Kapadia, India's football expert, commentator, and sports scribe, with the release of the PlayWrite Digest dedicated to him. The festival concluded with a discussion on cricket injuries, presented by Dr Mandeep Dhillon, the orthopedic expert from PGI.
