November 4, 2016 By Sahr Morris Jr.
Sierra Leone’s Kabbadi male national team would start their campaign in the sixth BR Ambedkar World Cup Kabbadi on Saturday, as the male squad would take on host nations, India on Saturday.
Sierra Leone, who is in group ‘A’ alongside India, England, Sweden, Canada and Sri Lanaka, would take on the tournament host at the Srabha Sports Stadium in Ludhiana in the early kick-off of the day.
The tournament opening ceremony was staged on Thursday.
Punjab Chief Minister, Prakash Singh Badal, while inaugurating the event, said the sports policy had given a major fillip to the sporting activity in the state.
Badal said as a tribute to the founding father of constitution Bharat Ratna, Dr. BR Ambedkar, the state government has christened the tournament after his name.
Earlier, Olympian Rajpal Singh, athlete Mandeep Kaur and Kabaddi Icon Gurpreet Singh lit the flame to mark the inauguration. Sri Lankan Petroleum Minister, Chandima Veerkoti was the special guest.
Sierra Leone last competed in the Kabaddi World Cup in 2013, and the following year, the team was stopped by the Indian Kabaddi Federation to attend the 5th World Cup.
Head of Kabaddi in Africa, Samir Jasal, who also doubles as the President for Sierra Leone Kabaddi Federation, cited the Ebola scourge as the reason for their decision and that this year’s tournament will be the country’s Kabbadi national team first tournament since the end of the Ebola.