Chandigarh University clinches the MAKA Trophy 2024 for sports after delivering a resounding defeat to Panjab University and outperforming Lovely Professional University and GND University.
— UPDATED — January 17, 2025 —
New Delhi, India, January 4, 2025 — Chandigarh University has achieved a remarkable milestone by becoming the first private university in India to be awarded the prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy for 2024. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports made this significant announcement on Thursday, highlighting the university’s outstanding contributions and performance in sports.
The MAKA Trophy, which recognizes excellence in sports among universities across India, will be presented to Chandigarh University by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu. This momentous event is scheduled during the National Sports Award ceremony, an esteemed celebration organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The ceremony will be held at the iconic Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on January 17, 2025, marking a proud moment for the university and its community.
- Chandigarh University emerged as the clear leader, decisively overpowering its competition. On its path to the top, it outperformed Lovely Professional University (2nd place) and GND University (3rd place) and delivered a stunning defeat to Panjab University (4th place).
Established in 2012, CU has become the youngest university to win the prestigious MAKA trophy for its exceptional performance in sports at national and international levels.
CU student Sanjay Kumar, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA), has been awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award for outstanding contributions to the Indian Hockey team. Notably, Sanjay was also a member of the Indian Hockey team that won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024. He will be honored alongside prominent national and international sports achievers during the National Sports Awards ceremony later this month.
Chandigarh University has achieved a remarkable milestone by securing the 1st rank at the Khelo India University Games 2024, winning 71 medals: 32 Gold, 18 Silver, and 21 Bronze. This accomplishment makes it the youngest institution to attain the top position since the inception of the Khelo India Games. Additionally, eight students from CU qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024, held in France from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
In the 2023 Asian Games, CU students delivered impressive performances across various sports, winning medals in hockey, boxing, table tennis, wrestling, archery, and rugby, thus significantly contributing to India’s overall medal tally.
CU students significantly contributed to India’s overall medal tally of 107 medals at the Asian Games, where India had a contingent of 653 athletes, including the highest representation of 22 players from the university. These students achieved remarkable success by winning 8 Gold and 2 Bronze medals. Chandigarh University students have secured 134 medals in the 2023-24 season, with 113 medals earned at national events and 21 at international competitions.
The institution has a dedicated sports policy to nurture sporting talent and develop national and international achievers through professional training, state-of-the-art sporting infrastructure, and a strict diet regimen. The university offers financial support to students through annual scholarships, including the Major Dhyan Chand Scholarship, which amounts to Rs 3.84 crores. Currently, 1,183 students, including 562 girls, benefit from scholarships at CU, with an annual budget of Rs 8.5 crores allocated for supporting sportspersons’ overall expenses. Additionally, CU provides special diets, sports kits, coverage of costs for traveling to competition venues, coaching fees, and hostel accommodation, all at no cost to the students.
The university’s remarkable achievement was enthusiastically celebrated as its Chancellor and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Satnam Singh Sandhu congratulated its athletes.
Chandigarh University is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. The institution offers over 109 undergraduate and postgraduate programs across diverse disciplines, including engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, and commerce.
Source: Chandigarh University
CitiTimes 