Players for Asian Games to be selected from Kabaddi venue in Suryapet

Suryapet: The Suryapet city, which is hosting 47th national junior Kabaddi championships, has also become venue for the selection of players for 2022 Asian Games.

State Kabaddi Association secretary Jagadishwar Yadav said that kabaddi players will be selected from this venue for the Asian Games to be held in 2022. He said the national Kabaddi Association under the Central government sent six selectors here to select the players.

'Former captain of Indian Kabaddi team and Padma Shri Ajay Thakur, who was in the World Cup winning team and bagged several gold medals in kabaddi, is among the six selectors.

The remaining five are Gulbar Khan, coach at centrally-recognized Netaji Institute of Sports; Anand Yadav, a police officer from Madhya Pradesh, who was trained at NIC; Padmaja Bala, coach from Andhra Pradesh, who was trained in NIC and one of the selectors of girls team; and Jayashree Swain, an Indian Railways coach from Orissa; and Appa Sahib Dalvi of Maharashtra.

36 boys and 36 girls will be selected at the Kabaddi tournament being organized in Suryapet. Telangana State Kabaddi Association secretary Jagadish Yadav said 72 probable players will undergo three-month training alternatively and finally 24 players - 12 each from boys and girls - will be selected.

Minister Jagdish Reddy appreciated the winners and lauded the sportsman spirit of losers. He expressed pleasure over the decision of selecting girls and boys for Indian Kabaddi team from Kabbaddi tournament being conducted in Suryapet.