Amritsar, December 3 The two matches of the International Kabaddi Cup held at Guru Nanak Stadium here on Tuesday received a lukewarm response from kabaddi enthusiasts as the audience stands remained almost empty during the matches. Most of the spectators who had come to watch the matches between India and England and Canada and USA were school students. The other spectators were government employees, especially those who had been assigned duties during the cup. Most of the kabaddi enthusiasts said had the venue been in rural segments of the district, it would have evinced a better response. “In cities, residents are more enthusiastic about cricket and other games. But in rural areas, people throng the venue even if the match is played in different villages,” said Ranjit Singh, a former player, adding that for an international cup, the presence of rural audience could have cheered the players. Even as the matches were being played, loud cheers, which are generally witnessed during the rural kabaddi tournaments, were missing. “The government has also not done much publicity in rural areas about the tournament. It is not unusual for kabaddi enthusiasts to travel 30-40 kilometres to watch international kabaddi matches. The response during the world kabaddi cups organised during the tenure of the previous government was much better,” said an official of the district administration pleading anonymity. Game enthusiasts were disappointed as the Pakistan team was not participating. “In all the matches held in the past, the Pakistan team had always been a tough challenger to India. The teams from other countries are no match and that is the reason, enthusiasts are missing the real competition,” said Sukhvir Singh, a visitor. — TNS

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