Srinagar: Over 400 martial artists, including several international players, from 15 different states of the country participated in the three-day-long fifth National Tong IL Moo Do federation cup, which concluded today at Indoor Stadium, Polo view.
The event was organized in association with JKAUMA under its ‘Drugs Outs, Sport In’ initiative, which has witnessed an overwhelming response by youth in schools and colleges. JKAUMA, under the flagship programme ‘Drugs out, Sports In’, has been organising seminars in different schools and colleges for last about one year across the Kashmir valley to raise awareness about drug addiction and its ill effects.
The national championship which was supported by A S Gold, Green Globe, Pebble, Alfamiglia, Northcut Enterprises, 5Ghz India Pvt Ltd, Bhasin & co and Guide the Professionals concluded at a closing ceremony in which Shakti Kumar Pathak (IPS) Director Special Security Force Raj Bhawan J&K was the Chief Guest. DDC Vice-Chairman Bilal Bhat, General Secretary Tong-IL Moo-Do Federation of India Mohd Arshid, Mir Nilofar Rashid Chairperson Alfamiglia, & Saba Bhat Chairperson Guide The Professionals were the Guest of Honors.
J&K lifted the first-place trophy, Maharashtra won second while Delhi secured third place in the tournament.
Many of the top Indian players were seen in action during the championship which had around 13 teams, including Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, and Kerala. The national championship had 60 weight categories.
The closing ceremony gala started with martial art students showcasing self-defense techniques and body flexibility to have the crowd mesmerized. This was followed by students from different schools performing cultural items, which in no time struck a chord with the spectators.
The performance was followed by encouraging words by Shakti Kumar Pathak (IPS). “I’m really happy to see such events being organised by the youth of Kashmir. Youth are the torch bearer/assets for Nation building for which they have to be disciplined in every nature and sports provide them the opportunity. Involving themselves in sports not only develops them physically but also helps in mental development. Such national events will give a lot of exposure to our youth to perform,” Shakti Kumar Pathak (IPS) said.
Meanwhile, talking about the event, Adnan Ayoub, who is the general secretary of the state federation, said, “Over 400 players from different states participated in this national event. I’m really happy because we were given this opportunity to organize this national championship.”
“It is a great accomplishment for JKTMA that we were able to successfully organize this national championship. This year has so far been amazing for the sport in the state,” he added.
The Jammu and Kashmir body for the sport which is associated with the Tong IL Moo Do Federation of India has organised several national and state and district level events since the game was introduced in the state five years ago.
“Our state is full of talented athletes, but we lack even the basic facilities, like proper equipment. However, our players still manage to perform impressively at both national and international levels. If our players are given the facilities provided to the players from the rest of the country, they will perform much better,” Rameez Khan, a member of the J&K Tong-IL Moo-Do Federation said.
