Promote martial art Gatka worldwide, says game promoter

Chandigarh, June 19 (IANS) National Gatka Association of India (NGAI), the oldest registered Gatka organisation recognised by the World Gatka Federation (WGF), President Harjeet Grewal has appealed to all Sikh educational institutions, religious, and social organisations worldwide to establish Gatka training centres.

He also emphasized the importance of recruiting Gatka coaches in each institution and gurdwara to foster the growth of Gatka sport activities across all countries.

The martial art of Gatka, as a modern sporting discipline, is a standardised style of stick fighting between two or more opponents.

During his address, Gatka promoter Harjeet Grewal said the primary objective of the WGF and Asian Gatka Federation (AGF) was to include the self-defence sport of Gatka in international sporting events such as the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, SAF Games, and Olympic Games.

"To achieve this goal, Gatka federations and teams would be formed in every country, so that national-level tournaments could be organised annually. Additionally, Asia Gatka Championship and World Gatka Championship would also be held to encourage participation from various countries.

"By implementing a well-structured plan, the popularity of Gatka would ultimately get a major boost, enabling it to attain international recognition as a sport," he added.

Grewal expressed his belief that with active support and assistance from all gurdwaras, Sikh educational institutions, religious, as well as social organisations in all countries, the dream of including Gatka in the Olympic Games could be realized.

During the meeting, Grewal briefed about the efforts made in the past to gain recognition for Gatka in India and called upon the global community to voluntarily step forward and promote the game of in their respective countries.

Speaking at the event, Sarabjit Singh Grewal of Safetech highlighted Harjeet Grewal's dedication over the past 15 years to obtain global recognition for the martial art of Gatka.