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Kabaddi: New indoor court to ignite passion for sport
The She Gladiators players demonstrate how kabaddi is played to children of Dream Africa School Mbalwa. PHOTO/GEORGE KATONGOLE
What you need to know:
India has strong ties with Kabaddi sport, a combat sport where two teams of seven players send one player at a time to 'raid' the opposition with an objective of scoring points either by tagging a player and crosses the midline before he is caught, or stepping into the bonus line. The opposing team earns a point for stopping the raider.
Dream Schools, a consortium of 21 schools across Kampala, Wakiso, and Jinja is set to construct a state-of-the-art indoor kabaddi court at the Mbalwa Campus in Wakiso District.
The project, slated to commence next year, aims to bolster the growth of Kabaddi at grassroots and will also feature facilities for badminton and mini cricket.
Ritesh Mishra, director of Dream Schools Network, emphasised the role of sports in providing children with a well-rounded education.
"Sports is one of the avenues for helping children gain a holistic education. We strongly believe that the world is rapidly changing and we need to prepare them for the future," he said.
The Indian High Commissioner to Uganda HE. Upender Singh Rawat was the chief guest at the launch of the works that are expected to take about five years.
India has strong ties with Kabaddi sport, a combat sport where two teams of seven players send one player at a time to 'raid' the opposition with an objective of scoring points either by tagging a player and crosses the midline before he is caught, or stepping into the bonus line. The opposing team earns a point for stopping the raider.
Strong ties
India is renowned for popularising kabaddi organising the first known competitions in the 1920s. The country organises the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) which is the most popular kabaddi league in the world.
“We want kabaddi to grow in Uganda such that we are able to replicate the PKL in Uganda. Currently we have a league system but we want to see it become more lucrative,” Mishra said.
In Uganda, the ties are even stronger as the Indian Women Association sponsors women national team uniforms while last year, Bank of India donated a Kabaddi mat imported from India to the Ugandan federation.
To launch the initiative, the Kabaddi Federation of Uganda organised two exhibition matches, among the national team players to familiarise the younger children with the intricacies of the sport.
Edgar Mujuni, the chief executive officer of the federation, highlighted the manifold benefits of Kabaddi for students, including the prospect of participating in prestigious events like the World Cup.
"Even the players we have now were recruited from the school system. We have to keep the conveyor belt moving to ensure sustainability," Mujuni said.
Dream Schools have already made strides in promoting Kabaddi by hosting major school competitions for both primary and secondary levels.
