Posted on: December 16, 2020 Posted by: admin Comments: 0

Veteran Indian kabaddi stalwart Achintya Kumar Saha or more popularly known as A.K. Saha has been picked for the Lifetime Achievement award in the polling done by the World Kabaddi.

The poll was conducted among all members of the World Kabaddi in conjunction with the World Kabaddi Day on March 24.

Saha played an instrumental part in the inclusion of kabaddi at the Asian Games as well as introducing the game to countries outside South Asia.

The 81-year-old, who hails from Calcutta has been involved in kabaddi since 1958 and was elected as the treasurer of the governing body for kabaddi in India in 1972.

In 1978 he was elected as the first secretary of the Asian kabaddi body. He led a four-strong delegate to Bangkok the same year to lobby the inclusion of kabaddi into the Asian Games.

It was through his efforts that the first Asian Championships was held in West Bengal in 1980. Saha was in the thick of matters in pushing for kabaddi inclusion at the Asiad over the next decade.

In early 1990, at his invitation, a delegation from China headed by Prof. Sun-Min-Zhi Director of XI Asian Games competition visited India to attend an international kabaddi tournament.

Following the visit China agreed to include kabaddi as a demonstration sports at the Beijing Asian Games in September the same year.

Two years later he attended the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) general assembly, to appeal for the inclusion of kabaddi as a medal sports at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games.

In June 1992, kabaddi was finally accepted as a medal sport at the Asian Games.

Saha continued to serve at the international level before handing over the helms to a new generation of administrators.

S.T. Arasu

World Kabaddi secretary general S.T. Arasu of Malaysia was picked as the Best International Administrator in the same poll.

Arasu, who is also the Malaysia Kabaddi Federation (MKF) deputy president, had also served as the secretary of the Asian body from 2002 to 2004. He was elected unanimously as the World Kabaddi secretary at its general body meeting in Bangalore in 2018.

It was double honour for Malaysia as the MKF was also picked as the Best National Federation.

The MKF hosted the inaugural World Cup Kabaddi in Melaka last year. Arasu was also the organising chairman of the World Cup.

MKF also hosted the International Level One Technical Course last year apart from conducting various tournaments, courses and clinics for its own members.

The polling was also used to select outstanding contribution at national level in each country.

Parminder Mohan Sharma

All those selected will receive special certificates from the World Kabaddi to be presented by the respective national bodies to their winners later this year.

Parminder Mohan Sharma of Canada was picked for the President’s Merit Award for his role in developing the sport in Europe and now in Canada.

World Kabaddi president Ashok Das congratulated all winners.

“We started this polling because of the current Covid-19 pandemic that had forced us to cancel all our activities. It was a good start and we hope to do this in a much bigger way in the coming years,” said Ashok.

THE FULL LIST

INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

Lifetime Achievement: A.K. Saha (India)

National Federation:  Malaysia Kabaddi Federation

International Administrator: S.T. Arasu (Malaysia)

President’s Merit: Parminder Mohan Sharma (Canada)


NATIONAL LEVEL

AUSTRALIA

Administrator: Jagjit Singh Gurm

CANADA

Male Player: Ivraj Singh

Coach:  Parminder Sharma

Technical Official:  Lal Ramandeep

Volunteer: Jagdeep Bargota

Administrator:  Parminder Sharma                 

CHINESE TAIPEI

Local Organisation: Taiwan Abeca Club

Male Player:  Huang Jih Hung

Female Player: Ren Ming Qin

Coach: Wang Tzu Jen         

Technical Official:  Wu Kao Hui

Volunteer: Abeca Taiwan

Administrator:  Wang Tzu Jen

EGYPT

Local Organisation:  El Sahel Kabaddi

Male Player: Mahmoud Taha Hasanen

Female Player: Habiba Tarek Fathi

Coach: Mohamed Taha Hassanen

Technical Official:  Osama Said Hashem

Volunteer:   Nadia Anter Yassen

Administrator:  Emad Said Ebrahem

ENGLAND

Local Organisation:    SSLE Barking

Male Player: Inder Singh Bassi

Female Player:  Emma Jones

Coach: Moinul Islam

Technical Official:  Gurjit Singh Shokar

Volunteer:   Sukbir Singh Bassi

Administrator:  Kawal Das

GERMAN

Local Organisation: Maharaja Ranjit Singh Kabaddi Club

Administrator:  Balkarn SIngh

HONG KONG

Local Organisation:    Hong Kong Kabaddi Sport Union

Male Player:   Wong Wai Chuen

Female Player: Leung Chui Ping

Coach: Ho Yan Yee  

Technical Official:  Tang Wai Man

Volunteer:  Lo Yuk Kwong

Administrator: Tang Wai Man

INDIA

Local Organisation: International Indian Premier Kabaddi League

Male Player:  M Arumugam

Female Player: Suman

Coach: Dr Ishwar Angadi               

Technical Official:  Amrik Singh

Administrator: M.V. Prasad Babu

IRAQ

Local Organisation:   Aisen Kabaddi Club

Male Player: Ali Sari Sabr

Female Player: Ilham Abdul Hussein

Coach: Alaa Hussein Irzaij 

Technical Official:  Basim Raisan Alghali

Administrator:  Hameed Neamah Khshoom

ITALY

Local Organisation:  Bergamo Kabaddi

Male Player:  Sandeep SIngh

Female Player: Shanti Devi

Coach:  Kamal Kumar

Technical Official:  Sukhmander Singh

Volunteer:  Aman Singh Brar

Administrator: Jasvir Singh Banwait

KENYA

Local Organisation: Tak Kabaddi

Male Player:   Reuben Mburu

Female Player: Grace Nyambura

Coach: Amos Kagiri

Technical Official:  Perpetual Mbutu

Volunteer: Kantilal Asani

Administrator:  Mathew Mwangi

MALAYSIA

Local Organisation:   Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur

Male Player:    Jegan Kumar Balaraman

Female Player:   Balajothi Gunasekaran

Coach:   R. Balamurugan

Technical Official:  M Rajasegaran

Volunteer:   Vipularajah Navaratnam

Administrator:  R. Sivanesan

MEXICO

Administrator: Triana Alonso

NEPAL

Administrator: Shiva Shainju

NETHERLANDS

Male Player:  Kaisan Pleizier

Coach:  Dalbir Singh

Technical Official:  Henny Pleizier

Administrator: Sukhvinder Singh Dhesi

NEW ZEALAND

Administrator: Tara Singh Bains

NORWAY

Male Player: Mandeep Singh

Coach: Joaquim Rasi                       

Volunteer:  Harpal Singh Khatra

Administrator:  Kanwaldeep Singh Kamboj

PAKISTAN

Administrator: Arbab Nasser

POLAND

Administrator: Abishek Sharma

SCOTLAND

Male Player: Sukjinder Dhillon

Female Player: Heather Spurling McGowan

Coach: Prem Singh Bart

Technical Official: Jon Gill

Volunteer: Jaswrinder Singh Rehncy

Administrator: Jon Gill

TANZANIA

Local Organisation:   Buffalo Kabaddi Sports Club

Male Player: Joseph Isaya Miotwa Lusinde

Female Player: Nasra Said Omary Mkima

Coach: Abhay Raj Singh     

Technical Official:  Arun Dagar

Volunteer: Adash Sharma

Administrator:  Abdallah Mustafa Atumani

THAILAND

Technical Official: Pond Sookwattana

Play! Passion! Pride!

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