The sport of kabaddi unites Poland with India, despite their vast geographical differences of over 6000 kilometers, continents, seas, and oceans.
The sport of kabaddi unites Poland with India, despite their vast geographical differences of over 6000 kilometers, continents, seas, and oceans. After beginning in the country’s remote hinterland, the game has now become a popular sport in Poland, capturing the interest of young people and leading to national championships and representation in the Kabaddi World Cups for Europe.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed the ‘kabaddi connection’ between the two nations on Wednesday. During his speech, PM Modi, who is now on an official visit to Poland, disclosed how kabaddi connects the two nations.
“The game of Kabaddi is another way that we are connected. Through India, Poland was able to adopt this game and grow it to enormous heights. For the first time, the Kabaddi championship will be held in Poland. The Prime Minister gave the keynote message at a celebration honoring the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Poland and India. “I want to wish good luck to their team,” he remarked.
On Thursday, PM Modi will meet with the captains of Poland’s men’s and women’s Kabaddi teams to further the sport’s relationship between the two nations.
Since they are the current European Champions, Kabaddi is highly popular in Poland, where it is similar to the European games of tag and wrestling. The first European player in the Pro Kabaddi competition (PKL), the nation’s fastest-growing professional competition, was Polish player Michal Spickzo.
When Indian athlete Abhishek Sharma made the decision to form a club, it was first introduced in Poland. In 2010, Abhishek Sharma, who had moved to Poland in 2007 after obtaining his MS in Bio-Technology, launched the ‘Kabaddi Project’ with the help of International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) member Ashok Das. Since then, Sharma has dedicated every penny of his earnings to kabaddi’s popularisation and advancement.
In a preliminary group match, the men’s national team from Poland shocked everyone by upsetting Iran, the reigning world champion, at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad, India.
