Pune: Puneri Paltan, the Pune franchise of Pro Kabaddi League, announced commencement of a selection camp in Pune till November 18, 2014. Aimed at fostering Kabaddi talent in the country, the camp will provide an opportunity for players from smaller towns to enter the professional arena. In addition to this, the franchise is also organizing two other events - ‘Talent Hunt’ and ‘Little Puneri Champs’ - to make the forthcoming season more exciting.

The selection camp will be conducted at Balewadi Stadium in the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports complex, Pune, from7 am to 9 am and from 4 pm to 6 pm. About 40 players will be selected at the camp and trained at Balewadi, Pune. These players also have a good chance of representing Puneri Paltan in the second season of Pro Kabaddi League, scheduled in 2015.

To further boost the growing popularity of the sport and offer a bigger platform to Kabaddi players, Puneri Paltan is organising a ‘Talent Hunt’ spanning over three days in select districts across Maharashtra. The event is expected to see participation of 16-24 teams representing sub-districts / villages / towns. Puneri Paltan will work with local Kabaddi clubs to access the best infrastructure, participation and promotion for the event. The management and coaching teams will be present for every event to identify talented players and reward winning teams and outstanding performers. Shortlisted players from each tournament will get an opportunity to attend a 7-10 day training camp at Balewadi, Pune.

‘Little Puneri Champs’ camp, another event in the offing, will recognize the sporting talents of children across select locations in the city from November 8, 2014 at Poona Club till the end of December. Various schools and colleges participating in the camp will be offered a special ‘Train the Trainer’ module, imparting basic Kabbadi skills to school coaches which can be further instilled into students.

Sumanlal Shah, Director, Insurekot Sports Pvt. Ltd., said, “We look forward to bringing out the best Kabaddi talent in the country to the forefront. Smaller towns in our country are blessed with great sporting talent. However they often go unrecognisedbecause of lack of opportunities. Through these camps, we plan to identify talented players and provide them a platform to grow and prove themselves.Our selection camp for the team will give us a good mix of national talent as well as grass root talent from the region for the upcoming season.”

Karthi Marshan, Director, Insurekot Sports Pvt. Ltd., said, “The first season of Pro Kabaddi League has put a spotlight on this indigenous sport, reigniting its pride and heritage. It has captured the imagination of millions across the country. Puneri Paltan is now working to promote this culture and offer a platform to several talented Kabaddi players. With our camps now underway, we are gearing up for another exciting season of the league.”