Tourney in wrestling icon’s memory on Mar 9

A wrestling championship in memory of Bhola Pehalwan, an iconic wrestler from Amritsar in the 1970s, will be organised on March 9 at the Gole Bagh Wrestling Stadium. About 60 wrestlers from across the country, including participants from Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and one from Iran, will compete in the event.

Prominent wrestlers participating include Dada Shelke from Maharashtra, Gurdeshwar Singh Khujala from Tarn Taran, Shanveer Kohali, Rahul from Haryana and Jakanwar Singh Jassa Patti, who won the prestigious ‘Mahabharat Kesari’ title. Additionally, a special competition will be held for the under-17 age group, where the winner of the 110 kg category will receive a title and a cash prize.

This event is being held in memory of Bhola Pehalwan, the father of Vikram Sharma, a renowned international wrestler and coach. Vikram, who is employed with the Punjab Police, has been a coach for the senior Indian wrestling team, which competed in the 2023 Senior World Wrestling Championship in Belgrade, Serbia.

A Greco-Roman style coach since 2018, he previously coached the junior national team, leading them to significant victories, including Sunil Kumar’s gold medal at the 2019 Senior Asian Championship and multiple bronze medals at the 2021 Rome Ranking Series.

The event will be graced by Patiala MLA Gurlal Singh, an international Kabaddi player, as the chief guest. He will be joined by Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal and MLA Dr Ajay Gupta to present prizes to the winners. Amritsar Wrestling Association President Harvinder Singh Sandhu, who also serves as the President of the District BJP Urban Unit, along with Senior Vice President Paramjit Singh Batra and Councillor Vicky Dutta, will also be present at the event.