Until two decades ago, no national team was complete without some representation from this state. It could boast of heroes like the hockey player, Balbir Singh; the footballer, Jarnail Singh, and Milkha Singh, arguably India's greatest athlete.

Many of them were appointed to key administrative posts in the state's sports department but that didn't prevent the slide that the discipline witnessed. What petty politicking did not kill, the terrorism of the eighties did.

Specialised educational institutions like the sports schools and college in Jalandhar were utterly neglected. The occasional streak of excellence that periodically emerged were strictly the result of personal initiative. In fact, the National Games, which were scheduled to take placein Punjab in 1989, had to be cancelled because of the murder and mayhem of those days.

Meanwhile, Kerala forged ahead, reducing Punjab to a `has been' status. In the absence of proper funding and employment avenues in the state, most budding sportsmen were forced to take up poorly-paid jobs. In time, professional compulsions took the better of their talent.

Fortunately, things are slowly changing today, especially in hockey and athletics. At Calcutta, Punjab performed very creditably but it should not rest on its laurels. A great deal needs to be done in other disciplines too.

After all, at one stage Punjab footballers had stirring encounters with top-notch teams like East Bengal. Similarly, on the distaff side, there is much scope for improvement. Sports still lacks proper infrastructure in Punjab.

There are only two athletic tartan tracks in the state -- those in Ludhiana and Jalandhar. The one in Patiala has three lanes and is suitable only for training. Besides, the state sports department is justa shadow of its earlier self and most sports associations are either defunct or controlled by vested interests.

No worthwhile effort was made to nurture well-known sports nurseries like Sansarpur near Jalandhar (for hockey) and Mahilpur near Hoshiarpur (for football). Each of these institutions boasts of at least half a dozen international players of yesteryear.

Now as the state prepares to host the National Games in 2000, the Punjab government should gear itself towards creating a climate conducive to mass participation in sports. This requires more than well-maintained multipurpose playing fields and stadia. Punjab should take a cue from Kerala and carefully foster a living sports tradition. If one coach, Harbans Singh, could promote a Paramjit Singh, the vast battery of coaching talent in Punjab could surely work miracles. The state government must ensure that these men and women conduct themselves with accountability and are themselves periodically put through refresher courses so that they arefamiliar with the latest techniques in sports training. The Badal government should create an umbrella organisation to spearhead efforts to revive sports in the state. Otherwise the trail-blazing efforts of individuals like Paramjit Singh could prove just a flash in the pan.