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Pro Kabaddi League outfit Tamil Thalaivas flagged off the new upcoming kabaddi season with the official launch of two events that the franchise will be organizing in the coming months - the Tamil Thalaivas Corporate Kabaddi Fest and the Children's Kabaddi Challenge.
The team had announced these initiatives a couple of weeks ago, but the launch was made official today with an event in Chennai where Tamil Thalaivas CEO Viren D' Silva presented the two programs. The initiatives are a part of the team's efforts in setting up a host of activities to capitalize on the interest in the sport of kabaddi in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Speaking at the event, D' Silva said,
"Tamil Nadu is proud of its Kabaddi heritage and, at Tamil Thalaivas, we aim to connect every Tamilian with their favorite sport of Kabaddi all through the year. We have lined up a number of exciting initiatives, which we will build year on year. We want to give back to the fans and communities who have given us so much love. Through these initiatives, we are inviting Tamil Nadu to be a part of every moment both on and off the mat."
Also present at the event were actor Vishnu Vishal and actor/singer Andrea Jeremiah who has been roped in by the franchise to promote the events along with Tamil Thalaivas players, D. Gopu and K. Jayseelan.
Gopu said that the sport has grown massively in the recent years and that it promises "a good life and future for those coming ahead." Jayaseelan mentioned that getting more women's teams to participate is important in saying "they don't get opportunities, we need to set these up for them."
The Tamil Thalaivas Corporate Kabaddi Fest is set to be held between August 17-19 at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai. 32 corporate houses including the likes of TCS, IBM, Renault, Apollo Tyres, Coca-Cola, Ford Motors and HDFC Bank will be fielding both men's and women's teams at the event. In a first of its kind move, the Tamil Thalaivas have even offered to provide some professional-level training to the registered teams in the two weekends prior to the Corporate Kabaddi Fest.
The Tamil Thalaivas Children's Kabaddi Challenge, in contrast, will be a near month-long affair beginning in August.
It is slated to be held across eight cities in Tamil Nadu - Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Thiruvallur, Salem, Thanjavur, Tirunelveli and Pondicherry. 196 schools are already on board with 12 Boys and 12 Girls Teams playing in a knock-out format. The top 30 teams will take part in the State finals in Chennai in September.
Star Sports, through its Tamil sports channel, will be televising the Corporate Kabaddi Fest.
In addition to these two events, the Tamil Thalaivas’ kabaddi caravan will continue with Street Kabaddi and Tamil Thalaivas State Tour in the coming months.
What do you think about this move made by the Tamil Thalaivas? Sound off your opinions in the comments section below!
