Comments
Kabaddi, the swadeshi game of India in existence for more than 4,000 years, needs and deserves all the encouragement from corporates, the public and the media, and Pro Kabbadi, the first kabaddi league in the country, will do all that is possible to promote the game, according to Charu Sarma, noted sports commentator and Managing Director of Mashal Sports, which promoted the league.
Sarma was speaking at a function here on Friday after the launching of the Telugu Titans team in the Pro Kabaddi league and the unveiling of the team logo. Visakhapatnam Port Trust Chairman, M T Krishna Babu, was the chief guest on the occasion.
Asian Games
He said kabaddi was no longer a rural game played in the villages of India, but it had gone global, with the game being played in 33 countries across the world and becoming a regular event in the Asian Games.
However, "for a game to get its due in the international scenario, it is necessary to standardise the rules and the way it is played and Pro Kabaddi is doing that''.
Telugu Titans
He said eight teams, including Telugu Titans, would participate in the first league tournament beginning on July 26. Matches would be played here in the port indoor stadium from August 16 for four days. Telugu Titans would play all the matches.
He complimented Srini Sreeramaneni of Core Green group, Mahesh Kolli of Greenko group and Gautam Nedurumalli of NED group which own Telugu Titans.
He said more corporates should come forward to support and sponsor the game, as "it will give them a great commercial opportunity to take their products to the tier-two and tier-three cities in the country. The game has great commercial potential in that way and corporates can penetrate into the rural Indian market''.
E Prasada Rao, distinguished kabaddi player and winner of Dronacharya award, explained that kabaddi had grown from a rural game played in the mud to one now being played in air-conditioned indoor stadia on synthetic mats. "Therefore, the risk of injury is greatly reduced and it has a great indigenous appeal to the public."
Visakhapatnam Port Chairman, Krishna Babu, said he had played the game at the university level and added that it needed all encouragement.
Star Sports Channel is the broadcast partner. Pro Kabaddi League matches can now be viewed live on primetime (7:30 pm onwards) in 108 countries across the world from July 26 to August 31.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.