Indian players walk away winning the Kabaddi World Cup title for the third time in a row with no cash award even after organisers had set a budget of R6 crore for the tournament
Indian players celebrate after beating Iran 38-29 in the final of the Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Pic/PTI
A World Cup trophy and no prize money cheque is like a half-baked celebrity cake for India’s kabaddi players. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) and International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) spent around R 6 crore to host the tournament but can’t spare a single rupee for the men who clinched honours for their country on Saturday.
ADVERTISEMENT
AKFI General Secretary Dinesh Patel said there is no provision of a cash award for winning the World Cup.
“We have not decided anything about prize money. We are not giving any cash prize to them (Indian team) although the government may think about it. Our expenses were approximately nine US million dollars (around R 6 crore) for this tournament,” Patel told mid-day from Ahmedabad yesterday.
Indian skipper Anup Kumar, who played a vital role in beating Iran 38-29, said a cash prize would be the icing on the cake.
“It will nice to get a cash award after winning such a big tournament. It will certainly be a great help for the players,” Anup said yesterday.
India skipper Anup Kumar
Even though there was no cash award announcement at the tournament’s launch in September, the Indians were rewarded financially for their 2004 and 2007 kabaddi world cup triumphs for which they received R2 and R3 lakh respectively.
Jaya Shetty, the chief organiser of the 2004 edition and chief executive officer of International Kabaddi Federation during 2007 World Cup, said: “After all, the players achieved these feats and they must be appreciated with cash awards.
“The financial rewards the players got in 2004 and 2007 were the highest cash awards in kabaddi during that time.”
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
