India's Pro Panja League takes arm wrestling to world stage with UAE Cup
Pro Panja League, India's premier professional Arm Wrestling tournament, is set to mark a significant moment in the league's journey, making its international debut on April 19 at the India Club, who are also the venue partner for the tournament in Abu Dhabi.
The 'Pro Panja UAE Cup' is the first-ever occasion when the league is organizing an international event. The event will bring together some of India's best arm wrestlers alongside the best arm wrestlers from around the world.
The event is sanctioned by the Dubai Sports Council and will technically be overlooked by the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation. Actor and co-Founder of the Pro Panja League, Parvinn Dabass and Bollywood star and President of the People's Armwrestling Federation India, Preeti Jhangiani will be making a special appearance at the event, alongside Raz Khan, who is the representative for Pro Panja League in the UAE.
A total of five matches will be played at the event, with the huge India-Pakistan headline clash being between India's Mazahir Saidu (110 kg), who is India's Number 1 and also the captain of Kochi KD's in the Pro Panja League, and Pakistan's Omer Jamshaid (105 kg).
In the 90 kg category, Arjun Menon from India will take on Talal Ali from Bahrain, while another Indian, Umesh Kattuparambil (80 kg) will compete against Ameer Alturkumani (85 kg) from UAE. In the other three matches at the landmark event, Prasad Kanhangad (75 kg) of India will be pitted against UAE's Rambo (80 kg), while India's Asker Ali (85 kg) will fight it out against Ali (90 kg).
Speaking about the international debut, Dabass said, "The Pro Panja UAE Cup is a natural progression in our vision to make arm wrestling a mainstream, globally recognized sport. The UAE has emerged as a hub for combat sports and we are thrilled to bring the energy and excitement of Pro Panja to such an enthusiastic audience and I thank our UAE partners especially India Club and Faisal Al Zaabi for their support.'
Sharing her enthusiasm for the same, Bollywood Star Jhanghiani added, 'Having seen the Pro Panja League up close, I have to say it's a superb mix of sports and entertainment and Bollywood masala, everyone who watches falls in love with Pro Panja and now I'm honoured to be meeting my UAE fans through this platform.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sharjah 24
13 hours ago
- Sharjah 24
Sharjah opens door to baseball championships
During the meeting, both sides explored avenues of cooperation to promote the sport and organise championships, in light of its significant popularity among Asian communities. The initiative also aims to add a new promotional platform for Sharjah, enhancing its regional and international presence through sports. A Global Brand with Regional Aspirations Baseball United was founded in November 2022 and supports 20 globally renowned teams, including the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox. As a recognised international brand, its championships attract millions of viewers around the world—in Asia, the United States, Canada, Japan, and Latin America. The organisation is now on its way to launching the first professional league involving teams from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Indian subcontinent. Foundations for the Game in Sharjah During the meeting, discussions were held on establishing a dedicated headquarters for the sport and developing baseball fields as a foundation for spreading the game. Plans include organising local competitions and hosting international championships in the future. The two sides also explored initiatives to launch youth academies and school programmes to scout talent, as well as leveraging the global league platform to market Sharjah as a sports, tourism, and educational destination for baseball. Sharjah's Competitive Edge Following the meeting, His Excellency Issa Hilal Al Hazami emphasised that Sharjah possesses the right environment to promote baseball, especially considering its popularity among Asian communities. He pointed out that the sport shares many similarities with cricket—a game that already holds a distinguished position in the Emirate, thanks to its large fan base and the iconic Sharjah Stadium, which hosts international championships. He stressed that incorporating baseball and participating in the Asian league would ensure guaranteed promotion and significant exposure for the emirate. Optimism for a Fruitful Partnership The head of the visiting delegation expressed his gratitude to the Chairman of the Council for the warm welcome and the positive outcomes of the meeting. He also conveyed his optimism about the anticipated collaboration between the two sides and the transformative impact this partnership could have on the sport both locally and internationally.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
Bollywood star Deepika Padukone talks about how badminton shaped her life
As her Padukone School of Badminton aims to 75 Centres in a year, actress Deepika Padukone talked about how the sport has shaped her life as she grew up playing the sport. Deepika took to Instagram, where she shared a picture posing with her father Prakash Padukone, a former star badminton player. She wrote: 'As someone who grew up playing badminton, I've experienced firsthand how much this sport can shape one's life — physically, mentally, and emotionally.' The star also shared a note about how the Padukone School of Badminton expands to 75 centres in a year. She added: 'Through Padukone School of Badminton(PSB), we hope to bring the joy and discipline of Badminton to people from all walks of life, and build a generation that is healthier, more focused, and inspired by sport.' The press note read: 'The Padukone School of Badminton (PSB), founded and funded by Deepika Padukone and mentored by former World No. 1 and All England Champion Prakash Padukone, has achieved a significant milestone by establishing over 75 grassroots coaching centres across 18 Indian cities-including Bengaluru, NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Jaipur, Pune, Nashik, Mysuru, Panipat, Dehradun, Udaipur, Coimbatore, Sangli, and Surat-within its first year of operations.' With its mission of 'Badminton for All,' PSB now aims to scale to 100 centres by the end of this year and 250 within the next three years, the note added. The note further stated that the academy's vision is to democratize access to quality and affordable badminton coaching, providing opportunities for people of all ages and skill levels. 'Through its standardized, scalable coaching methodology, developed under the guidance of Prakash Padukone, the organization seeks to introduce a nationwide community of school children and working professionals to the sport. It also aims to empower aspiring coaches with certified training and sustainable career paths.' Meanwhile, the makers of Telugu star Allu Arjun's upcoming film with director Atlee, being tentatively referred to as AA22 X A6, on Saturday welcomed Deepika onboard the film's unit. The production house shared a video of Atlee meeting Deepika Padukone and narrating the script to her. The clip also gives a glimpse of Deepika Padukone's motion capture portions in the film. The visuals give the impression that Deepika Padukone plays a queen, who rides a horse and wields a sword in the film. The film, which has already triggered huge expectations as it is believed that it will be like no other film that has ever been done before, will have world class experts working on it. Well known VFX supervisor James Madigan, who is known for having worked in films like 'Iron Man 2' and 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,' had said, 'I just got done reading the script and I got to say, my head is still spinning.' Indo-Asian News Service
Int'l Cricket Council
a day ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
How Proteas opener used T20 game to unleash Test match confidence
Thankfully for the South African, his aggressive batting has presented regular opportunities in the shorter formats that will assist him in handling the occasion, despite how much less Test experience he has versus some of his Australian counterparts. The Johannesburg native has been attempting to fast-track his ability to be comfortable in intense cricketing scenarios. 'I've taken a lot of confidence out of my T20 game actually and the experience and the exposure you get around the world of just playing T20 cricket,' he continued. 'Playing in India with full houses, where they live and die for the sport, really gives you that confidence that if you can walk out there and be in control of your mind and your body, you can take a lot of pride and, again, a lot of confidence going into other arenas. 'Coming (straight) from the IPL, having played against the best players in the world, both Indian and international, you just get a firsthand feel for it. High pressure moments frequently, a few times every week, lots of eyes on you all the time, lots of expectations from owners, teammates, fans, just people, people around you. 'I probably take a lot of confidence out of it that you can deal with the game at that pace, at that level. That skill set, it's chalk and cheese (from Test batting). "Trying to marry the two of them for me opening the batting, but if you can take that mental confidence out of it, saying that 'I can handle it here, what are the things that I need to rein in about myself to give myself the best chance of competing on a Test match level?' "It's probably the most difficult challenge, but once you've worked through those technical attributes and the intricacies of cricket, you can find the way you move and the way you think about the game can be a lot more confident. '(I'm) looking forward to obviously trying to take that confidence onto the field.'
