The Hindu : Sport : India starts strong favourite

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 08, 2005

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Sport - Sports : General

India starts strong favourite

Sports Reporter

HYDERABAD: Favourites India takes on Thailand in the opening match of the inaugural Asian women's kabaddi championship commencing at Saroornargar Indoor Stadium here on Friday.

The Indian team which has been training for about one year with short breaks, is billed to pick the gold in the event which has seven foreign teams — Bangladesh, Thailand, Japan, Sri Lanka, Korea, Nepal and Iran — in the fray.

The teams have been split into two groups. The top two will qualify for the semifinal knock-out phase.

For the first time the Indian players will play on specially designed semi-cushion mats which will be used during the competition.

New-found interest

Among the teams which are likely to attract attention are Bangladesh and Iran. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2006 Asian Games and the Asian Kabaddi Federation President Janardhan Singh Gehlot has stated that there is a possibility of including women's kabaddi there. So the interest amongst the Asian countries (which were hitherto averse to the sport) has now been aroused.

With Kasani Gnaneshwar, Chairman of Organising Committee and Chairman of Ranga Reddy Zilla Parishad, going out of the way to ensure that the biggest ever competition for the women kabaddi players should be a big success, the players are totally focussed on their job and have no worries. By Korean coach Yoon Yeong-Hak's own confession, his team doesn't entertain any medal hopes here. Five of the team members are from the Dong-all University and the others from Busan Women's College and Kuk Min University and their main aim is to gain some experience.

Indian chief coach A. Elpes Rani is confident. "A lot of emphasis was given to techniques in the last 15 days of the camp and the girls are fully focussed," she said. The captain Swati Pujari pointed out that since only three members of the Indian team are employed, the players will go all out for a gold medal since that may enhance their job prospects. "A gold is a big incentive for us," she added.

Fresh from their one-month preparatory camp back home, the Bangladeshis are confident of pulling off a surprise or two. The groupings: Pool A: India, Korea, Bangladesh, Thailand. Pool B: Japan, Iran, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

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