As they say: “There is many a slip between the cup and the lip.” Mashal Sports, the Disney Star-promoted organisers of the well established franchise-based Pro Kabaddi League, have been hit with a googly in the wake of its recent announcement that it would soon be staging a women’s kabaddi league.
A potential spanner has been thrown in the works as far as those plans are concerned after the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) denied having given its endorsement to Mashal Sports for organising a women’s kabaddi league.
Earlier on March 2, Mashal Sports CEO Anupam Goswami had announced that Mashal were planning to launch a women’s kabaddi league in collaboration with the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India and the IKF.
To quote Goswami then: “Our plans for a professional women’s kabaddi league are based on the success we have seen in the men’s league and our commitment to grow kabaddi as a modern world-class sport from India. We will be working with our various stakeholders, including the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) and the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) to launch the women’s league.”
So what has changed since then? IKF secretary general Satthasivam Munisamy confirmed to IANS that no such permit has been given either to Mashal Sports or Star Sports for a women’s Kabaddi league and that it is the board that decides the same (emphasis ours).
“Not yet, we haven’t given permission to anyone. Maybe we can let you know later but not now. I will discuss this with our president and the board then only we can announce it. So far, we have not given permission to anyone to conduct the women’s league or a World cup,” IKF secretary general Satthasivam Munisamy told IANS on Sunday.
“We haven’t sanctioned yet, we never discussed it. Maybe, we can let you know about it after the board meeting,” he further told IANS.
As per News18 however, there is more to it than just a requirement of an IKF board meeting. News18 reports that the IKF has entered into an agreement with a new entity “for the promotion of women’s kabaddi globally”.
Meanwhile, Ronnie Screwvala, who already owns a men’s team in the PKL, admitted to News18 that he would be keen to own a women’s kabaddi team, though he added that he had not received a formal communication from Mashal as yet.
