Regional qualifying tournament to promote Kabaddi

KABADDI: Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation (AAKF) Congress that met in New Delhi on 28th November 2006 decided to have regional qualifying tournaments to arrest the declining number of teams participating at the Asian Games.

This year's Asiad in Doha will see only five teams participating and the AAKF is concerned that the numbers could further drop for the next edition in four years time of something positive is not done immediately.

India's Kuldeep Vats, who was unanimously elected as the news president by the 10 attending countries at the congress. Kuldeep, who is also the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games Joint secretary as well as an executive member of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), said that the AAKF would also seek to include Kabaddi at least as a demonstration sport at the commonwealth Games.

General Samara Kesornin was also elected unanimously as the new Deputy President.

The position of Deputy President was created following the adoption of a new AAKF Statutes and Guidelines at the Congress.

The three vice-presidents elected in were Sri Lanka's Brigadier E.M. Mahinda Ambanpola, Pakistan's Abdul Majeed and India's Mala Benerjee. Incumbent Secretary General S. T. Arasu of Malaysia, was unanimously elected for a second four year term.

Afghanistan's Samiullah Musharraf was elected as the joint secretary.

Incumbent treasurer Group Captain Rohitha Ranasighe was also elected unopposed and he will be assisted by Nepal's Hari Pandey, Former AAKF secretary General M. T. Fernando was annointed as the Referees Board Chairman.