Nurpur: End of national basketball tournament, Punjab champion: The Tribune India

Our correspondent

Nourpur, September 17

The 72nd North Zone National Basketball Championship ended at the Atal indoor stadium last night. Punjab became the overall champion by winning both the men’s and women’s finals.

The Delhi women’s team and the Haryana men’s team were deemed finalists. The Punjab women’s team defeated the Delhi team by 50-34 while in the men’s final, the Punjab team defeated Haryana by 71-56 to win the championship.

The Minister of Forests and Sports, Rakesh Pathania, presided over the closing ceremony. He honored the winning and runner-up teams with trophies and medals.

The HP Basketball Association hosted the four-day tournament. Twelve teams comprising 180 players from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir took part in the championship.

Pathania said the championship gave the newly constructed indoor stadium a national-level identity. He added that the Department of Youth Services and Sports would work to organize further national level sports tournaments at the stadium in the coming days.

The minister said the central and state governments are doing their best to provide better facilities and infrastructure for the players. He added that the Prime Minister’s “Khelo India” program plays an important role in developing the sports skills of young people. He said the initiative had given a boost to sporting events across the country.