World Kabaddi making inroads in developing the sport around the globe is highlighted by two separate incidents in two entirely different continents in the past one week.
The support given by several British Members of Parliament to help the development of the sport in the United Kingdom and the decision by the Kenya Sports Registrar that the two rival organisations in the country must now merge had both been unexpected but welcome news for the sport.
In a discussion between World Kabaddi and European Kabaddi officials together with several MPs, there was a consensus that more support would be given to organising competitions at the grass root as well as schools.
It was also highlighted that Midlands bid host the World Cup in 2024 would also receive strong support from the MP’s.
World Kabaddi president Ashok Das said that the pledge of support from the MP’s would help further propagate kabaddi to a higher level.
The discussion was also attended by representatives from sponsors as well the British Kabaddi League representatives including its CEO Prem Singh.
An All Party Parliamentary Group is in the works to ensure that kabaddi gets the support it needs in the United Kingdom.
More than 6,000 miles from the UK, there was another crucial meeting taking place in Nairobi, Kenya.
Over the past several months, the Kenya Kabaddi Sports Federation (KKSF) has been engaging the country’s sports registrar on their conflict with the Kenya Rectangle Kabaddi Union (KRKU).
The KKSF is an affiliate of the World Kabaddi.
Based on the presentation made by the KKSF to the registrar, a decision was made earlier this month that both organisations should merge as one, for the betterment of the sport in the country.
This was agreed upon without any objections by the KKSF and to further the implementation of the merger, another discussion was called upon earlier this week.
Unhappy with the decision, the KRKU had engaged the assistance from their Asian counterparts, from Pakistan and India to try an convince the Registrar to overturn the decision.
Alas, it was a wasted trip from the delegation from Asia as the registrar found no reason to annul the previous decision. The merger will now take place as agreed upon, allowing the KKSF to select the best available players for the African Kabaddi Championships to be held in the Egyptian city of Cairo in July.
KKSF president Matthew Mwangi, who is also the Africa Kabaddi Confederation secretary, said that the decision on the merger was best for the continued development of the game as well as for the benefit of players from both sides.
World Kabaddi also welcomes similar mergers, as this has always been our believe and intention that for the sport to grow, it has to work as one voice.
To this extend, World Kabaddi had extended an olive branch to the rival organisation over the last two years, with no positive response from the other side.
While World Kabaddi believes that it has the capability to bring the sport to a higher pedestal on its own, we still believe that a united sport would help rapid growth.
The growing support for the World Kabaddi in countries from all continents is a testament that we are on the right track.
KABADDI: STRONGER TOGETHER