If kabaddi gets included in Olympics, India has great opportunity: Dakshina Kannada MP

Mangaluru: Under the MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund and the CSR fund of New Mangalore Port Authority, a kabaddi mat distribution programme was held for Kabaddi Associations of eight taluks in Dakshina Kannada district at Sparsha Kala Mandira, Bantwal.

The programme was organised in collaboration with Kreeda Bharati and the Dakshina Kannada District Amateur Kabaddi Association.

Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta said that over the past 10 years, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought significant changes to the field of sports.

The Modi government has taken steps to provide all kinds of support and opportunities for rural athletes to showcase their talent in national and international sports competitions, he said.

The outlook towards sports in India has changed in the last decade. Alongside promoting sports through 'Khelo India', infrastructure development is also being carried out. A sports revolution is taking place in the country, and the central government under Narendra Modi is committed to developing facilities at the taluk level to prepare athletes right from the grassroots, he explained.

He added that if kabaddi gets included in the Olympics, it would be a great opportunity for India, and local athletes should be prepared for it. He urged the kabaddi teams and student-athletes to make the best use of the support. He also thanked the New Mangalore Port Authority for the support and requested both government and private institutions, including the port authority, to provide employment opportunities for sportspersons.

NMPA Chairman Venkata Ramana Akkaraju said that the port would continue to support athletes, responding positively to the MP’s appeal.

Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik Ulippady, who presided over the event, said that he has been supporting athletes in his constituency and extended his best wishes for rural athletes to achieve great success.

Moodbidri MLA Umanatha Kotian recalled his own experiences as a kabaddi player during his college days. Rakesh Malli, State Chairman and District President of the Amateur Kabaddi Association, Kreeda Bharati State Vice President B Nagaraj Shetty and others were present.