Kabaddi tourney brings festive fever to Tirupati

Tirupati: Padma Bhushan awardee Pullela Gopichand, Arjuna awardee in kabaddi C Honappa and kabaddi players and referees from various states have brought festive atmosphere to the temple city on Tuesday. The awardees as well as the players have started arriving to a rousing reception by the organisers.

The arrangements at the Indira Maidanam which is the venue of national invitation men's and women's kabaddi tournament have reached the final stages. The formal inauguration function will be held on Wednesday evening for the five-day tourney to be held from January 5 to 9.

The matches will be held on specially laid modern mat courts at the grounds. Organisers have readied four courts, two each for men and women to conduct matches. Various teams will be divided into four pools and the matches to be held in the league system on the first three days and the qualified teams will play in quarter finals.

On the last two days, quarter finals, semi-finals and finals will be held under a knockout system. All the matches will be held at Indira Maidanam only during 9 am to 1 pm and again from 4 pm to 10 pm. For each match between men's teams, 45 minutes time will be given in with a break of five minutes after 20 minutes of the game. For women's matches it will be 35 minutes duration with a five minutes break after 15 minutes.

APSPDCL has been providing electric supply at the grounds and there will be uninterrupted power supply as the matches will be held even during nights under floodlights. Generators were also kept ready at the grounds for emergency use.

International experts have monitored the arrangements at the courts where matches will be held and the results will be declared transparently. About 70 experts who qualified in the national kabaddi federation test will act as referees. State kabaddi association secretary Srikanth has been monitoring these aspects.

City MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, commissioner P S Girisha, mayor Dr R Sirisha, deputy mayors, corporators and corporation officials have been camping at the ground itself and taking care of every aspect to ensure no lapses in the conduct of the mega tourney. Arrangements were made to seat 4000 people to sit in the galleries and watch the matches. Medical and food facilities provided for the players at the ground as well as at their accommodation venues.