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 tournament is organised by the Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Ji Gatka Akala (SBDSJGA), which has bases in both Surrey and Victoria. The Akala is both a competition ring and a training school for practising Gatka – 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).
“this is Farisoti “It's a two-player head-to-head competition,” Kaul explains. Fali Leather shield and Sothie It is a stick made of bamboo.”
Gatka fighters compete one-on-one in two-minute rounds.
According to a press release about the championship from the SBDSJGA, the tournament's 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 the 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 of its kind. There are competitions all over the world but what we are doing is unique,” she said. “Last year we had a Punjabi commentator from Hockey Night in Canada provide play-by-play commentary during the live streaming of the event.”
The live stream will be broadcast on the SBDSJGA YouTube page and will feature several Sikh sports media personalities 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 admission is free and food trucks will be at the venue on both Saturday and Sunday.
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.
