India and Poland are more than 6000 kilometres apart from each other, separated by continents, seas and oceans but are connected by a single thread -- the sport of kabaddi. The game that originated in the ruler hinterland of the country is now an upcoming sport that has caught the imagination of Polish youngsters and has resulted in the European nation winning titles in Europe and representing the continent in the Kabaddi World Cups.
The 'kabaddi connection' between the two countries was brought to light by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. PM Modi, who is on an official visit to Poland, revealed the connection between the countries through kabaddi during his address
"We are connected through the game of Kabaddi as well. This game reached Poland through India and they took it to great heights. Poland is going to host the Kabaddi championship for the first time. I want to wish good luck to their team," the Prime Minister said while delivering his keynote address at a function celebrating the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Poland.
To take forward the sport's connection between the two countries, PM Modi will be meeting the captains of Poland's men's and women's Kabaddi teams on Thursday.
Kabaddi is quite popular in Poland, as it resembles the European game of tag and wrestling, and they are the current European Champions. Michal Spickzo from Poland was the first European to play in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), the fastest-growing professional league in the country.
It was introduced in Poland when a sportsperson from India, Abhishek Sharma, decided to start a club. With the support of the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) member Ashok Das, Abhishek Sharma, who moved to Poland in 2007 after completing his MS course in Bio-Technology, started the 'Kabaddi Project' in 2010. Since then, Sharma has poured all the money he earned into popularising kabaddi and has brought the sport to this stage.
The Poland men's national team qualified and played in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad, India, and caused a sensation by defeating the then World Champions Iran in a preliminary group match.
Though they finished fourth in the group and failed to advance to the next stage, the result showed that Kabaddi has a bright future in Poland.
The current visit by Prime Minister Modi is sure to further strengthen the connection between the two countries.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)