In a press release issued here today, POA secretary General Arvind Khanna said that competitions in 25 disciplines would be organised. Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Anandpur Sahib and Chandigarh would be the venues of the games. The opening ceremoney will be held at Ludhiana. Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, may conduct shooting and water sports.

However, the number of disciplines and venues would be formally ratified at the annual general body meeting of the Punjab Olympic Association scheduled for November 14 at Chandigarh.

Punjab has the unique privilege of organising the inaugural games of the current century in 1924 when the POA was founded and the first National Games of the new millennium to be staged in the beginning of 2000.

The Indian Olympic Association had yesterday allotted the 2000 Games to Punjab after POA had made the bid. A Punjab delegation led by POA president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Sports Minister Nusrat Ali Khan, Principal Secretary (Finance) Rajan Kashyap, Principal Secretary (Sports) Bharat Raj Bajaj, Sports Director Col Raminder Singh and Arvind Khanna made the bid at the IOA meeting which was unaimously accepted by the house.

It may be recalled that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal recently urged IOA president Suresh Kalmadi to allot the 2000 National Games to Punjab. The Chief Minister also assured Kalmadi that the State Government would extend all facilities to organise the games.

The IOA had also allotted the 1999 National Games which Punjab could not conduct due to the law and order problem in the state at that time. According to a rough estimate Rs 20 lakh would be needed for smooth conduct of the National Games.