A Sikh martial arts tournament is coming to Cloverdale.
The Damdama Gatka Championship will see the participation of players from all over the world and will be held at the Agriplex on July 6-7.
Gatka is a traditional Sikh martial art and is considered a martial education.
“The event will bring together skilled Gatka athletes to showcase the rich traditions of the ancient Sikh martial art,” said Vaneet Kaur, public relations manager for the Damdama Gatka Championships.
Kaul added that participants will be coming from all over Canada (almost every state), many from California and other parts of the U.S., a few from India and various other countries.
Spectators can watch the qualifying matches on Saturday, 6 July, and the final on Sunday, 7 July.
The competition is organised by the Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji Gatka Akala (SBDSJGA). The Akala is both a competition ring and a training school for practising Gatka. It is like a gym but it also has a spiritual dimension. Gatka as a sport is inseparable from Sikhism.
“Gatka has a spiritual and religious dimension,” Kaul said. Cloverdale Reporter“When you enter the Akala or when you are about to play or practice any martial art, you say a prayer before you begin.”
She said that the contestants then bow, salute the weapon they are going to use and step into the akhara to fight. Gatka has two forms: practice and competition.
Kaul said that on the first day of the competition, the players will compete in various qualifying matches but there will be no repechage matches, giving the championships a festival-like atmosphere. On the second day, the players will start with more qualifying matches but later in the day they will compete for a place in the tournament in repechage matches, she said. The players will compete to be crowned champions in four categories – junior boys and girls (15 years and above) and senior boys and girls (18 years and above).
“It's a phali and soti competition,” Kaur explained, “where two players go head-to-head. The phali is a leather shield and the soti is a stick made of bamboo.”
Gatka fighters compete one-on-one in two-minute rounds.
According to the SBDSJGA's press release about the championship, the aim is to “present traditional elements of Gatka with a contemporary approach.”
This is the second Damdama Gatka Championship; the inaugural one last year attracted more than 2,000 spectators for the two-day tournament (held at Khalsa School on the 124th). Kaul described it as a “great success” and said he expects similar results this year, with the larger venue attracting even more visitors.
“This is the first tournament of its kind. There are tournaments all over the world but the way we are doing it is unique,” she said. “Last year we had Punjabi commentators from Hockey Night in Canada providing commentary during the livestreaming of the event and we hope to have them back this year as well.”
The event will also be broadcast on television and will feature several Sikh sports media personnel along with former Gatka fighters.
The tournament is supported by two major sponsors: Khalsa Credit Union and Ion Properties.
“We want to put Gatka on the map and show what this traditional martial art is all about. We're really excited about it,” Kaur added. “It was so well received last year that we decided to expand it and hold it at the Agriplex. Last year it was incredible – it was packed.”
“We're hoping to see even more participants this year.”
Kaul said entry would be free and spectators would also be provided with free food.
The Damdama Gatka Championships will be held at the Cloverdale Agriplex, 17798 62 Avenue, Cloverdale Fairgrounds, on both July 6 and 7 from 8am to 8pm. For more information, visit gatka.ca.
