Kabaddi included in Traditional Sports Carnival

The Youth and Sports Ministry has included kabaddi as one of the sports in the National Traditional Sports Carnival.

The inclusion was made through the efforts made by the Kuala Lumpur Kabaddi Association.

Kabaddi will be the first non-Malay traditional sport to be included in the annual carnival. The other sports competed at the carnival are Galah Panjang, Tarik Tali, Laga Ayam, Sepak Raga Ratus, Sepak Bulu Ayam, Rebut Negeri and Kelereng.

The Traditional Sports Carnival has been taking place for the last five years.

Each state runs its own state level carnival and the winners of each sport at the state level are picked to represent the state at a national level competition. Kedah is expected to be the first of the states to conduct their state level competition on June 14 at a Felda near BUkit Kayu Hitam.

Last year, Sarawak emerged as the overall champions at the national level competition held at the Taman Tasek Titiwangsa in KL.

The Kabaddi competition at the carnival would be for both the men's and women's team.

In line with the inclusion, the Sports Ministry has sought the assistance of Kelab Sukan Tradisi Harmoni Kuala Lumpur and the Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur to assist them in conducting workshops for youth organisations throughout Malaysia.

The first workshop was held in Kuching, Sarawak from May 15-17. The northern zone workshop was held in Baling Kedah from May 18-20. The northern zone workshop was attended by youth organisations from Kedah, Perak, Perlis and Penang.

The next workshop is scheduled in Kota Kinabalu from May 27-29.

The Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur is thankful to the Sports Ministry for accepting our suggestion to include kabaddi in the carnival. The inclusion is expected to help greatly in the growth of the sport among the grassroots.