Around 10 lakh players are expected to participate in the fourth edition of ‘Khedan Vatan Punjab Diyan’, which will commence on September 5.Organised by the Punjab Government, the games have emerged as the state’s largest sporting event. The fourth edition will be inaugurated at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium in Bathinda. Competitions in 38 sports disciplines, along with four para-sports, will provide a platform to identify, nurture and develop sporting talent across the state.In Amritsar, competitions in athletics, football, kabaddi (national style), kabaddi (circle style), kho-kho, volleyball (smashing) and volleyball (shooting) will be held in two phases from September 8. The first phase will conclude on September 10.During the first phase, competitions will initially be organised at the block level. Pritam Sports Stadium at Kohalli village will host competitions for the Chogawan block, Government Senior Secondary School will host those for Tarsikka block, Olympian Shamsher Singh Senior Secondary School for Attari block, Meritorious School for Verka block and Government College for Ajnala block.The second phase will begin on September 14 and conclude on September 17.PUNSUP Chairman Prabhbir Singh Brar said the Aam Aadmi Party government was making continuous efforts to connect the youth with sports and restore Punjab’s position as the country’s leading sporting state. He said attractive cash prizes had also been announced for the winners.Brar said around 10 lakh players were expected to participate in this year’s games. He described ‘Khedan Vatan Punjab Diyan’ as an important platform for identifying, encouraging, training and nurturing sporting talent from villages, towns and cities across the state.He said the games also brought people from different generations together on a common sporting platform.Players from nine age groups, ranging from 14 years to above 70 years, will participate in the fourth edition. A total of 38 sports disciplines will be contested, while four para-sports — athletics, powerlifting, badminton and wheelchair basketball — have also been included.To ensure maximum participation, the registration process has been kept simple and free of cost. For the first time, the Sports Department has introduced QR-code-based registration, allowing players to register from anywhereand at any time.Brar said the games would help prepare children and young athletes for national and international competitions. The events will be organised at block, district and state levels. For the first time, tennis-ball cricket for boys and girls has been included as a demonstration sport, giving emerging players an opportunity to participate and showcase their talent. The games will be organised across all 153 blocks of Punjab, while district-level competitions will be held in all 23 districts. State-level competitions will be organised in 16 districts. The closing ceremony will be held in Patiala on November 29. State-level medal winners will receive cash prizes of Rs 10,000 for gold, Rs 7,000 for silver and Rs 5,000 for bronze.wuw