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Stadium half empty for Kabaddi matches in Amritsar
Public, players blame lack of promotions; officials cite ‘working day’ behind low key affair
Matches played on the second day of International Kabaddi Tournament–2019 on Tuesday remained low-key affairs as most of the stadium was empty. The tournament is being held in Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev Sports Stadium where matches of India versus England and Canada versus US are being played.
Half the chairs in the stadium were empty, even as most visitors watching the matches were cops, government employees and school students. The reason for the low turnout as cited by officials was hat it was a working day. Both, viewers and players from Amritsar however laid the onus on the administration for shoddy promotions.
A senior official of Amritsar administration said there were about 1,500 people in the stadium. However, according to a Punjab police spokesperson, they had deployed 650 policemen in the stadium. Even stray dogs could be seen roaming about in the stadium.
Kamal Kishor, a wrestler of Amritsar said he had no information about the matches. “We are running many wrestling arenas in the holy city. We didn’t get any invitation from the district administration or sports department. If we were invited, about 500 of our wrestlers would have come to watch the game.”
“I am a big fan of Kabaddi. I was passing by the stadium when I came to know that matches are being played here. Otherwise, I was not aware of it. Kabaddi is part of our tradition, and the state government should promote it by disseminating information to every nook and corner of the state about the international matches,” said 32 year-old Ajay Sharma.
Chief guest, medical education and research minister Om Parkash Soni, stayed on at the stadium till the start of the second match. Member of Parliament (MP) Gurjit Singh Aujla was also present on the occasion.
Deputy director of the tournament, Arjuna-awardee Hardeep Singh said, “Since Tuesday was a working day, the stadium had a smaller crowd. Another reason may be that the administration did not promote it properly. It is our traditional game which gives a positive message against drug menace. There should be an adequate crowd in stadiums to boost the morale of players, at least.”
District sports officer (DSO) Gurlal Singh, however, said that the crowd was adequate despite it being a working day. “The opening ceremony of the tournament was held in Sultanpur Lodhi, but the crowd in Amritsar was more than the Sultanpur crowd.”
INDIA BEAT ENGLAND, CANADA DEFEAT US
On the second day, India won the match by defeating England with a 54-36 score. Similarly, Canada defeated United States with the score being 53-26 points.
