First Euro-Kesri wrestling championship held in Italy

Milan (Italy), Sep.29 (ANI): Promoting and popularising traditional Indian games, the Punjab Educational and Cultural Activates Trust (PECA) on Sunday organized the first international Euro-Kesri wrestling competition here.

Organised by the PECA trust, a non-profit organization promoting Punjabi language and culture on a secular and non-political basis, wrestlers from Canada, India, Australia, Great Britain, Switzerland and Europe, participated in the event.

The theme of the wrestling competition was to preserve and promote Indian Heritage and to strengthen common bonds.

Ranjit Singh Masuta, chairman of the PECA trust, on this occasion said that PECA caters to the need of promoting Indian Heritage, both by directly organizing events that bring community members together from all over the European region and by facilitating participation of its community members in mainstream activities.

Masuta informed that PECA was also planning to promote sports events in the rural area of Punjab.

Arjun Singh Bhuller of Canada, who has also been five-time winner of Canadian National wrestling champion, won the first 'Euro-Kesri' award.

"In Canada, there is lot of potential for wrestling. There are a lot of children who are coming up which is good for community. The kids are growing up and they look towards celebrities and sports figures and they wish to be like them," said Arjun Singh Bhuller, the Euro Kesri.

Rustem-e-Hind Dara Singh conferred the award to Arjun Singh in the evening.

"It is a matter of great joy that wrestling matches were played in foreign. I think players' appreciation is very important. But, back in India, there is not much appreciation of players, which is actually required to be done," Dara Singh, the veteran world wrestling champion.

Dara Singh said that he was happy to see NRIs promoting the traditional sports, which in turn, would help in educating the youth about health and sports.

Also present on the occasion was Giacomo Rossini, the President, Lombardia State of FILA.

"The event was organized quite excellently here. The players, who came here to wrestle internationally, were also quite good. They wrestled quite well. A lot of people from India, especially the Punjabis, living in Italy are related to sports," Giacomo Rossini, the President, Lombardia State of FILA. y Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)