In Canada for kabaddi, 47% Punjabis didn’t return

Chandigarh, January 19

Traditionally a tough, rural sport practised by “pehlwans” in villages across India, kabaddi has been flying high in recent years due to the money and glamour brought in by the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).

This new-found professionalism has certainly helped the top-level players and turned this sport into a lucrative career option. But going by a longstanding trend in Punjab, the benefits are yet to trickle down to the average athlete at the village level in the state.

Generally considered to be one of the traditional powerhouses of kabaddi in the country, players from Punjab are making news in Canada for wrong reasons. Nearly 47 per cent of the youth going to the country in the name of participating in kabaddi tournaments have failed to return, a confidential report of the Canadian government has pointed out.

“While the rate of return increased from 42 per cent in 2015 to 62 per cent in 2017, the rate of persons obtaining work permits unrelated to kabaddi has also increased from 21 per cent to 30 per cent,” the internal report of Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (Ministry) stated.

The youth are invited to Canada by kabaddi federations based there to play matches organised by the Indian community residing in the country. “The rate of players who obtained work permits after entry to Canada (26 per cent) in 2015, 2016 and 2017 suggests that they intended to enter Canada primarily for long-term work unrelated to playing kabaddi,” the report said.

Officials at the national kabaddi federation refused to comment. — IANS