Fifth world kabaddi cup concludes; CM doubles prize money of women section from next edition

Badal (Sri Muktsar Sahib), December 20, 2014: Buoyed over the overwhelming success of the fifth edition of World Kabaddi Cup, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced to double the prize money for Women World Cup Kabaddi from existing Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore.

Addressing the mammoth gathering on the closing ceremony of the Fifth World Kabaddi cup here at newly inaugurated Guru Gobind Singh  stadium, the Chief Minister hailed the sportsman spirit exhibited by all the participating teams in the fortnight long sporting extravaganza. He said that the state government was the firm believer of egalitarian society so no discrimination was made between male and female in any field. Badal said that following this practice the state government has decided to bring the prize money for the women kabaddi team at par with that of men’s teams participating in the next edition of the World Kabaddi Cup.

Congratulating Deputy Chief Minister for organising this world cup for the fifth consecutive term, the Chief Minister said that Sukhbir Singh Badal deserves credit for transforming the mother game of Punjab-kabaddi from a rural sport to a global event. He said that it was a matter of great pride for them that this game was now equally popular in nations across the globe, a glaring example of which was the presence of a number of foreign teams in the tournament. Badal said that due to the stupendous efforts of the state government the game has already became famous even in those countries, which had not even heard about it.

Highlighting the importance of sports in the life a human being, the Chief Minister said that besides giving health benefits it teaches a person how to live a disciplined life. Likewise, he said that a person learns to work in a team by actively participating in the sporting activity. “Sports have a lot of significance due to which the state of Punjab was profusely engaged in promoting it in every nook and corner of the state” added Badal.

Welcoming all the esteemed dignitaries to his native village, the Chief Minister said that every Punjabi was proud that eminent personalities like Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Minister of state for Sports Sarbnanda Sonowal had graced this occasion. He said that despite of their busy schedule and poor weather conditions these leaders have spared their valuable time for the sake of this tournament and people of state. Badal said that the state government in general and he in particular was highly indebted to both these leaders.

Earlier in his address, the Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar congratulated Badal for holding this mega sporting event. He said that due to the efforts of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal this game which was earlier confined to rural areas of Punjab and Haryana have now emerged on the global map. Khattar said that these efforts of the state government were highly laudable.

Terming Punjab and Haryana as elder and Younger brother, Khattar said that the need of the hour was that both the state governments must make concerted efforts to come with a ‘Joint Sports hub’ for promoting sport activity in both the states. He said that the Union government should also help this endeavor of both the states to promote sports in them. “I am hopeful that Union Government under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fully back us as this will help in channelising the unbounded energy of the youngsters in a positive manner, he added.

In his address after prize distribution ceremony, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal urged the Union Government to enlist rural and traditional games like Kabaddi, Gatka, Desi Kushti etc. in National Sports list so that these games could be taken to new scales in coming years. Badal apprised Union Minister of Sports Sarbananda Sonowal that Punjab has been organising this mega event for the last five years and now Kabaddi has not only the game of Punjab and Haryana but it has get popularity all over the world with active participation of 18 nations in world cup kabaddi. He said as many as 25 nations would be participated n 6th edition of World Kabaddi in 2015.

Felicitating the winners and runners-up teams India both men and women section, Pakistan in men section and New Zealand in women section, Badal also announced that next edition of world cup kabaddi would be organised in the month of November.  

Addressing the gathering Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal assured Punjab Government that Center was contemplating to include local, rural and traditional games to the national sports list. He said that with due consultation with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi a positive decision in this regard will be taken soon.

Lauding the efforts of Sukhbir Singh Badal for promoting Kabaddi across the world, Sonowal said Punjab has given a separate identity to the country by producing world renowned sports icon like Flying Sikh Milkha Singh, Olympian Balbir Singh and Footballer Jarnail Singh. He said it was also a matter of pride for Punjab that team of USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Iran, Denmark, Argentina etc were participating in World Cup Kabaddi. 

Meanwhile, after fifteen days of extensive sporting activity the fifth Edition of World Kabaddi Cup came to an end. The Closing ceremony of Fifth Edition of World Kabaddi Cup was started with the final matches of women and men section. During the function an impressive documentary on the life and struggle of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal mesmerised the audience. Likewise, clips depicting the history of all five world cup kabaddi editions and the theme song of Kabaddi made the sports lovers tap their feet. The impressive entertainment session amused the thousands of spectators with dancing, laser show performance and fireworks. Famous Punjabi singers Gippy Grewal, Pooja and Satinder Satti also gave impressive performances by presenting their famous tracks. A special session for Martial Art Gatka and laser shot also remained the center of attraction.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Rajya Sabha members Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Lok Sabha member Sher Singh Ghubaya, PWD minister Mr Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Rural Development Minister Sikandar Singh Malooka, Forest and Wildlife minister Chunni Lal Bhagat, Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Sports) Pawan Kumar Tinu, Chairman Punjab Agro Dyal Singh Kolianwali, Advisor to CM (National Affairs and Media) Harcharan Singh Bains, Director Sports Punjab (Pakistan) Usman Anwar, Secretary (Sports) Ashok Kumar Gupta, Special Principal Secretary to CM KJS Cheema, Special Principal Secretary to Deputy CM Manvesh Singh Sidhu, Special Secretary (Sports) Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon and Amrit Kaur Gill, Director (Sports) Tejinder Singh Dhaliwal, DC Jaskiran Singh, SSP Kuldeep Chahal, besides several others.

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