The Sports and Youth Services Minister of Punjab Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi has announced the dates for the World Kabaddi Cup which would be dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
"In a high-level meeting at the Punjab Bhawan here with the deputy commissioners of all the districts besides the top officers of the Sports Department, the minister said that the sporting event would be held from the December 1-10," read an official statement.
The minister directed the officers to gear up for making the event a memorable one and said that no laxity in this regard would be tolerated.
The inauguration would be held on December 1 at Guru Nanak Stadium Sultanpur Lodhi and four matches would be played that day.
The closing ceremony would be held at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sports Stadium in Dera Baba Nanak and apart from the final match, third and fourth position matches would also be played on this day.
Besides this, two matches each would be played at Guru Nanak stadium Amritsar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh stadium Ferozepur, Sports Stadium Bathinda, Sports Stadium YPS Patiala. The semifinals would be held at Charanganga Sports Stadium, Sri Anandpur Sahib.
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Nine teams would be participating in the tournament. These would be India, USA, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan and Canada.
Barring, Pakistan and Canada, all teams have got Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Union Government. The NOC with regard to these two countries is still awaited. Emphasizing the appropriate decoration of the stadiums, Rana Sodhi directed that the Backdrops, Hoardings and Banners be suitably displayed.