Hosts Kuala Lumpur need to be at their best if they harbor any hopes of making the final of the second KL International Inter City Kabaddi Championships, at the Stadium Titiwangsa from 5-7 March.
The KL side came within a whisker of winning the inaugural title two years ago but will have to contend with a stronger field for this year’s edition.
The KL International Inter City Kabaddi Championships was to have been officially launched by Deputy Foreign Minister Senator A Kohilan Pillay today but he had to attend to some urgent government matters.
FT Sports Council's Kenneth Alberqueque launched the tournament instead.
The tournament is an unique competition catering for teams representing various cities.
Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya teams would spearhead the Malaysian challenge at the championships.
Two years ago, Kuala Lumpur stunned a star studded Colombo squad in the semi-finals. The Colombo squad included five internationals and were strong favourites for the crown.
Colombo have yet to confirm their entry this year but defending champions Patialla of Punjab are sure starters.
Punjab are among several Indian cities that have confirmed their participation in the tournament. The others include New Delhi, Kapurthala, Chennai, Mumbai and Vijayawada.
Also in the fray is the Katmandu city team from Nepal. Norway’s Oslo, made up of Indian expatriates, is the other team that has confirmed their participation.
Malaysia will also have its own expatriate team in the competition. The KL expatriate team, made up of Indian workers would be making their debut at the championships.
The men’s competition is expected to see a minimum of ten teams while the women’s competition would see a minimum of four teams.
“We had interests from a number of other teams from other countries but they were unable to raise the funds needed to come here,” said KAKL president S.T. Arasu.
He added the tournament would help the city SUKMA squads in their preparation for the biennial event in Melaka this year.
KL are confident of winning both gold medals at stake in Melaka for the SUKMA. The KL men won the gold at the last SUKMA in Terengganu where kabaddi was a demonstration sport.
“All the players in the SUKMA training squad would play at the International Inter City Championships and the strong opposition would help them with their own game,” said Arasu.
The KL International Inter City Kabaddi Championships is supported by the KL City Hall, the Federal Territory Sports Department and the Federal Territory Sports Council.
Figos and 100 Plus are among the sponsors.
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