Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint press statement after a meeting with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk, in Warsaw, Poland, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (PTI Photo)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently in Poland to celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, highlighted kabaddi as the common thread between Poland and India during his keynote address in Warsaw.
“India and Poland are connected through the game of kabaddi. This game reached Poland through India and they took it to great heights. Poland is going to host the Kabaddi Championship for the first time. I want to wish good luck to their team,” the Prime Minister said in his address. Prime Minister Modi also met the captains of Poland’s men’s and women’s kabaddi teams.
The visit to Poland by PM Modi is the first for an Indian Prime Minister in over four decades. The last Indian Prime Minister to visit Poland was Morarji Desai in 1979.
Here’s a quick glance at Poland’s history in the sport of kabaddi.
When Poland team played at the Kabaddi World Cup
The Polish team were one of the surprise packages at the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016 which was hosted by India.
They caused one of the biggest shocks of that Kabaddi World Cup eight years ago, hosted by Gujarat’s Ahmedabad when they defeated Iran, which were traditional powerhouses of the sport.
It was captain Michal Spickzo who led from the front to score 12 points while Piotr Pamulak bagged nine points in that pool match. Iran were stunned by a 25-41 margin. So good were the Polish team that they restricted the rampaging Iranian defenders to just six points on the night, with just two of those coming in the second half.
Poland’s pathbreakers in Pro Kabaddi League
In 10 seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League, which is the premier league for the sport in the world, there have been two Polish players who have competed in PKL. Not surprisingly, these two players were Michal Spickzo and Piotr Pamulak, both of whom had given a measure of their kabaddi prowess against Iran at the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016.
Spickzo, a defender, was the first European to play in the Pro Kabaddi League when he was bought by the Bengaluru Bulls in 2015. He was with the team in the 2016 edition of the competition as well.
Hailing from the Polish city of Bialystok, Spickzo was first introduced to the sport of kabaddi when Ashok Das, General Secretary of England Kabaddi Association, when he visited Poland and held a kabaddi demonstration.
The Polish defender used to play American football and making the switch to kabaddi was not that difficult. Back when he was picked in the PKL, he used to work as an IT professional.
“The similarity between kabaddi and American football is that you have to watch your opponent and how your teammates are playing. Preparation is needed. In both sports, footwork is crucial. Since I have been playing football for a while, it would help me better my game at kabaddi,” Spickzo was quoted as saying.
While Spickzo didn’t play too much in the PKL, he in a sense paved the way for Pamulak to be picked in the league as well.
Pamulak became the second Polish player to feature in the Pro Kabaddi League after being picked up by Bengaluru Bulls in the 2023 player auction.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 22-08-2024 at 20:23 IST
