Chandigarh, March 25 -- Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday presented the sports report card of the four years of the AAP government in the state under the "Shandaar Char Saal Bhagwant Mann de naal" series, outlining how the government's sports revolution is reshaping. Mann highlighted a jump in the sports budget from Rs.350 crore to Rs.1,791 crore, increase in coaches from 500 to 2,458, and direct financial support of Rs.15 lakh for Olympic preparation and Rs.8 lakh for Asian Games athletes. The CM said to give impetus to sports, a new policy was introduced in 2023, investing Rs.1,350 crore to develop 3,100 playgrounds and 3,000 gyms, alongside distributing 17,000 sports kits and the rapid expansion of "Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan", where participation has grown from 1.5 lakh to 5 lakh players. "This sustained intervention is delivering visible outcomes, with Punjab securing, for the first time in its history, the hosting rights for the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey, along with the National Badminton Championship U-13 after 40 years," he said. Hockey matches will be held at Balbir Singh Sr Hockey Stadium and Surjit Hockey Stadium, Jalandhar. Addressing a press conference, the CM said, "The Asian Games will conclude on October 3-4 and the top six performing hockey teams will vie in this Asian Games. For the first time Punjab has got the opportunity to hold this international event and it is a big achievement in the field of sports." Speaking on Punjab's contribution to sports, Mann said, "Captain of the Indian hockey team Harmanpreet Singh, captain of India's Australia tour squad Hardik Singh, men's cricket team captain Shubman Gill, women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, basketball team captain Palpreet Singh Brar, football team captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and recently Abhishek Sharma and Arshdeep Singh, who won the T20 World Cup, are all from Punjab. Indian Women's Cricket Team won the ODI World Cup last year under Harmanpreet Kaur, with players like Amanjot Kaur and Harleen Deol, he added. In the Qila Raipur Sports Festival, bullock cart races were revived through legislation in 2025 after 14 years, the CM said....