Experienced Olympians and administrators join new executive committee; Punjab hockey enters an important phase with major international tournament on the horizon
Jalandhar News (Pawan Dhupar): Nitin Kohli has once again been elected President of Hockey Punjab, with a new executive committee comprising former Olympians, players and experienced sports administrators taking charge of the state’s hockey body.
Kohli, who has previously led Hockey Punjab, is also the Vice President of Hockey India, giving him responsibilities at both the state and national levels. Hockey India’s official member-unit record lists Kohli as President of Hockey Punjab, while he was appointed Vice President of Hockey India in 2025.
The new Hockey Punjab leadership comes at an important time for the state. Punjab continues to remain one of the strongest centres of Indian hockey, with its teams producing consistent results in national competitions. Hockey India recently highlighted Hockey Punjab’s podium performances across domestic championships and credited the state’s strong hockey culture and player-development system.
Gori Shankar IAS served as the Election Observer for the Hockey Punjab elections.
Olympians among key office-bearers
The new executive committee includes several prominent names from Punjab’s hockey fraternity.
Olympian Harpreet Singh Mander and Olympian Baljit Singh Dhillon have been appointed Vice Presidents, while Dr Sarabjit Kaur Rai will serve as Vice President (Women).
Amrik Singh Powar has been appointed General Secretary and Olympian Sanjeev Kumar Treasurer.
The other office-bearers are:
* President: Nitin Kohli
* Vice President (Men): Olympian Harpreet Singh Mander
* Vice President (Men): Olympian Baljit Singh Dhillon
* Vice President (Women): Dr Sarabjit Kaur Rai
* Secretary General: Amrik Singh Powar
* Treasurer: Olympian Sanjeev Kumar
* Joint Secretary (Men): Jaswinder Singh Lally
* Joint Secretary (Women): Renu Bala
* Outstanding Sports Person (Men): Olympian Hardeep Singh Nita
* Outstanding Sports Person (Women): Olympian Gurjit Kaur
* Athlete Committee (Men): Ripudaman Kumar Singh
* Athlete Committee (Women): Amandeep Kaur
* Executive Member (Men): Kulbir Singh
* Executive Member (Men): Kulwant Rai
* Executive Member (Women): Meenakshi
Non-voting members
The committee will also have Olympian Rajinder Singh (Senior) and Gaurav Sood as Associate Vice Presidents, while Anirudh Gupta and Rajwant Singh (Bathinda) will serve as Associate Joint Secretaries. These positions carry no voting rights, according to the election document.
Big international assignment ahead
The new leadership will take charge as Punjab prepares for one of the biggest international hockey events to be hosted in the state.
The Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026 is scheduled to be hosted in Punjab, with preparations centred on Jalandhar and Mohali. Hockey India’s executive board has already reviewed preparations for the championship, including infrastructure, coordination and international-standard requirements.
The Punjab government has also approved the hosting of the tournament, with an agreement between the Punjab State Sports Council and Hockey India. Infrastructure at the Jalandhar and Mohali stadiums is being upgraded to meet international playing and broadcasting requirements.
For Hockey Punjab, the timing of the new leadership is therefore significant. With Punjab continuing to produce players for the national setup, strong performances in domestic competitions and an international tournament coming to the state, the new committee faces an opportunity to strengthen the state’s hockey ecosystem at both the grassroots and elite levels.
Kohli’s continuation as Hockey Punjab President, alongside his national role as Hockey India Vice President, places him at the centre of this next phase of Punjab hockey. Recent Hockey India discussions on the Asian championship preparations have also specifically involved Kohli in his dual capacity.
