For the past couple of weeks, we have been asked over and over again as to why we were not part of the President’s Cup kabaddi championships.
We chose not to make a big fuss over our omission from the tournament, which we had won twice before and could have easily won again, for several good reasons.
Unlike others, we are not in the business of disrupting any kabaddi tournaments even when we are being victimized.
We were shocked that the organisers had even hired bouncers in the misguided anticipation of us disrupting their tournament.
Now that the tournament is over, we believe that it is important to dispel rumours and set the facts right.
This is not the first time that our teams have been unceremoniously omitted from major competitions.
Last year, we initiated and worked very hard to include kabaddi in the Malaysian Traditional Games Festival. But, some calculative officials conspired to stop us from playing at the national level championships in Ipoh. We did not make a fuss then too.
For those of you, who have been following this site, the Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur (KAKL) have been at odds over many issues with the Kabaddi Association of Malaysia (KAM).
One of these, was the fact that the KAM failed to invite us for the last General Meeting. We had written to them asking for an explanation in January 2009. After one year, we have yet to receive a reply to our queries. Very efficient indeed for a set of so-called experienced sports administrators!
In the meanwhile, certain KAM officials had gone on an extended campaign claiming that the KAKL were no longer an affiliate.
It reminds to us the words of renowned American journalist Ambrose Bierce who said:
“It is a strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.”The organisers did not invite us for the President’s Cup in what we presume was their reasoning that we were no longer KAM affiliates.
That being the case, we are left wondering the need for the KAM officials to make press statements over and over again in the newspapers that the KAKL team were barred from taking part in the President’s Cup.
We found it funny but totally amateurish attempt by these officials to smear the good name of the KAKL. Why talk about us when they had already claimed that the state was not part of their organization? Did the KAKL even requested to play in the tournament?
These are the type of gutter politics kabaddi nor any sport, for the matter, needs.
That the so-called powers to be, were prepared to victimize the players for their own benefit shows the shallowness of their boast of developing the game.
The KAKL did not take part in the Presidents Cup because we were not invited. If there was an invitation, we would have certainly send the cream of our players with the target of winning the titles at stake.
But we are not willing to beg for inclusion when we had done no wrong. Even if there was a notion of, we the office bearers having done something wrong, that should not have affected the players.
Nevertheless, missing the tournament had its positive implications for us.
We were able to gauge and assess the strength and weakness of the teams from the other states that we need to face during the SUKMA in Melaka in June.
And for heavens sake, we strongly suggest that all the rubbish talk that the team from Federal Territory would not be allowed to play at the SUKMA be stopped immediately.
Entries for SUKMA are by the respective state sports councils and approved by the National Sports Council. The KAM’s role is only on the technical aspects of running the kabaddi competition and not approval of teams to the SUKMA.
We missed out the chance of the hattrick at the Presidents Cup but it gave us the opportunity to concentrate on the KL International Inter City Kabaddi Championships we are hosting from March 5-7 at the Stadium Titiwangsa.
The championships is being hosted with the support of the Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur, the Majlis Sukan Wilayah Persekutuan and the Jabatan Belia dan Sukan Wilayah Persekutuan.
This is enough to put a rest to the unwarranted statements that the KAKL is not a legal sports body.
The competition at the international would be a great advantage in the preparation of our team for the SUKMA.
Some of our players and officials took time off to watch the finals of the President’s Cup and it was a good educational visit for us as we are in the midst of organising a major tournament and also in view of the SUKMA preparations.
No matter what happens, these are the mistakes we will not make when we host the KL International Inter City Kabaddi Championships early next month.
1. We will not waste money in hiring bouncers for sporting events
2. We will only use local players images in our event posters and banners and buntings and backdrops instead of foreign players.
3. We will take good care of our sponsors and not allow our own actions result in sponsors cancelling their commitment.
4. We will invite even our most hateful critics to attend our functions and give them due respect.
5. We will not allow the fermentation of infighting by encouraging splinter groups.
6. We will not call the media and discourage them from giving publicity for kabaddi events run by rival groups.
7. We will not use gangsters to harass officials.
8. We will not post lies on blogs and then boast about it to others
But the President’s Cup also raised some interesting questions especially the fact that the host states key officials were conspicuously missing. And no, we were not surprised that the national body’s president was himself missing from a tournament named Presidents Cup.
Yours in kabaddi,
S.T. Arasu
President
Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur
