Kickboxing champ in need of monetary help to fulfil dream

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, September 27

Parav Pathania of Katuage village in Bhuntar subdivision of the district has been selected to represent the country at a WAKO kickboxing championship to be held in Italy.

He has won a number of medals in various championships across the nation and now has been selected to participate in the international arena. However, the financial condition of his family does not allow them to dole out about Rs 2.5 lakh, required to travel to Italy.

Parav belongs to a middle-class family and his father is a farmer and mother a helper in the panchayat. He has a younger sister studying in Class XII and the family has no other means of earning a livlihood. He was fond of the sport since childhood and started participating in competitions from Class IV.

Parav has brought many laurels to the region and now wants to win a gold medal for the country. However, with limited financial resources, his path looks difficult as there is no assistance from the government.

His family approached a welfare organisation, Kar Sewa Dal, for financial assistance to pursue Parav’s dream. Kullu Kar Sewa Dal president Mandeep Singh Dang said it was a matter of pride that a boy of the district would represent the country in an international competition. The organisation has provided him some financial assistance and appealed to its members to come forward to help the budding champion. Parav had appealed to all sports lovers, welfare organisations and elite persons to help him.

The Ministry of Sports had recently proposed to recognise the WAKO India Kickboxing Federation as a National Sports Federation (NSF). World Association of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO) has been provisionally recognised as a member of the International Olympic Committee on November 30, 2020.