In a bid to restore the glory of Indian wrestling and nurture wrestling talent, “Champion’s Pro Kushti” is all geared up for its inaugural match between international wrestlers Sangram Singh and Robbie E at the Mohali International Hockey Stadium on February 6.
Announcing the initiative in a news conference, world wrestling champion Sangram Singh, also an acor, who has teamed up with entrepreneur and wrestling enthusiast Janardan Pandey to form Champion’s Pro Kushti in association with World Wrestling Professionals (WWP), South Africa, said, “We are looking to promote Indian wrestling or ‘kushti’, especially in Tier-II towns and beyond, where the country’s most promising talent is simply waiting to be tapped”.
Champion’s Pro Kushti is backed by WWP Founder-Director Mark A Beale. In its capacity as international relations partner, WWP will provide Champion’s Pro Kushti exposure on a global platform.
Sangram Singh said, “Under Champion’s Pro Kushti, we will open training and competition centres at 10 locations across the country in the next two years. We have decided on seven of them, including Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Kanpur, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Mangalore and Kolkata, and are in the process of finalising the other three.
He said, “ We will spot and adopt promising wrestlers, provide them the best of trainers and training facilities. National and international Pro Kushti championships will serve for them as a platform to showcase and hone their wrestling skills.”
Speaking about the format, he said Champion’s Pro Kushti will involve six rounds of three minutes each with a 45-second rest after each round. “A blend of amateur and professional wrestling, Champion’s Pro Kushti offers the originality that all wrestling enthusiasts will love,” he added.
Champion’s Pro Kushti co-founder Janardan Pandey said their initiative is aimed at bringing Indian wrestling, which has its origin in the ancient martial art of Malayuddha, into the limelight. “We will equip our wrestlers with the right combination of traditional Mallayuddha and modern grappling techniques. We will also be inviting regional corporates to be a part of this initiative by collaborating with the centres in Tier-II towns for providing training facilities to aspiring wrestlers,” he said.