Nakul Shivani/ New Delhi

India finished with a resounding 46 medals in the 6^th Asian Pencak Silat championship held recently at the Sher-i-Kashmir indoor stadium in Srinagar.

The championship was held from October 11 to 17.More than 150 athletes participated in the championship from twelve Asian countries. Apart from India, Pencak Silat players from Vietnam, Nepal, Singapore, Kazhakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Phillipines took part in the event.

The event was organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, and the first international event of its kind to be played under the banner of its special initiative ‘My Youth My Pride’.

India finished 4^th overall in the medals tally. Vietnam was the overall champion team, with Singapore and Malaysia, the first and second runner-up.

According to M Iqbal one of the coaches with the Indian team, hosting such events give a lot of exposure to Indian players. “The event gave huge experience to our athletes. After competing with players from countries like Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, their morale is very high.”

India won 43 medals in the championship

India went into the championship with a strong 60-member contingent – 35 boys and 25 girls. Of the 29 medals, India bagged, 4 were gold, 13 silver and 29 bronze.

Of the 60 Indians in the team, 11 players were from Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking about the popularity of the sport in the country, M Iqbal said,” The future of Pencak Silat is very bright in India. You will soon see players from India, especially Jammu and Kashmir will lead the world in the sport.”

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The event was inaugurated by the Lt. Governor of J-K, Manoj Sinha. During his inaugural address he noted that Pencak Silat is relatively new in India, and J&K has emerged as a major power centre of the sport in the country.

*Pencak Silat is a martial art sports, which encompasses various styles originating from Malay culture, spread over Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Phillipines and Brunei. This sport involves striking, grappling and throwing techniques. This involves full body fighting wherein, any part of the body can be used for attack, and any part of the opponent’s body can be attacked. Along with fighting it also involves artistic movements. The player playing this sport is called Pesilat and this sport is very popular in the South-East Asian countries.