Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (MM/NR)
Pics – Dayanand Kukkaje

Mangalore, Dec 5: The Balanjaneya gymnasium kick-started the South India Level- India Powerlifting Championship 2007 as part of its diamond jubilee celebrations at the Town hall here, in association with the Karnataka Powerlifting Association (KPLA).  

Purandardas Kulur welcomed the gathering and the championship was inaugurated by K P Sucharita Shetty, president of the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat here on Tuesday December 4 evening. Speaking on the occasion, he pointed out that there is no support for a sport like powerlifting in Dakshina Kannada. However, lauding the efforts of the sportsmen, he said that in spite of so many disadvantages the powerlifters of the district have given tremendous performances at various levels.

Former MP Vinaykumar Sorake was the chief guest on the occasion. Sorake while referring to the status of sports in the country lamented that while a county like India had a population of around 110 crore out of a total of 700 crore population existing in the world,  the achievement of Indians in the sports arena is far from satisfactory.

Moreover he opined that, the state government reserves only Rs 1.5 crore as sports budget whereas the deposit amassed by the Cricket Association in India is a whopping Rs 150 crore. "This is the irony of our sports", he further rued.

Former MLA Yogish Bhat presided over the function. Former corporator Diwakar, K V Shanubhag, DGM of Syndicate bank, P J Joseph, vice-president of KPLA, Vasant Salian, Alexander Mathew, P Mallesh, Satishkumar Kudroli and others too were present on the dais. 

A total of 300 powerlifters from Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry are participating in the championship. The championship will conclude on Friday December 7.