May 8, 2005
SURREY – Premier Gordon Campbell announced today that a BC Liberal Government will invest up to $250,000 to provide seating and washrooms for the Kabaddi field at Surrey’s Sullivan Heights Park.
Premier Campbell joined Surrey-Newton BC Liberal candidate Daniel Igali, who is known by the nickname ‘Toofon Singh’ because of his prowess on the Kabaddi field, made the announcement at the first tournament of the spring-summer season at Sullivan Heights Park.
“This is B.C.’s first Kabaddi tournament area and today’s commitment of $250,000 will make sure it can be enjoyed by the thousands of fans from across the Lower Mainland,” said Campbell. “We’re able to make this investment because our economy is strong again. British Columbia is now the fastest growing economy in Canada, with more jobs being created than anywhere else in the country.”
Because the playing field is designed to accommodate Kabaddi, cricket, and rugby, the seating will be portable to allow stands to be adapted to whatever sport is being played. The funding will go to the City of Surrey, which showed real leadership in breaking ground at B.C.’s first Kabaddi tournament area at Sullivan Heights Park in 2004.
The sport of Kabaddi was born on the Indian subcontinent 4,000 years ago to develop self-defense skills, as well as the physical abilities and reflexes needed to attack and respond to attacks by individuals and groups or teams.
“Kabaddi requires a player to have skill, speed, and power, and it combines the skills of wrestling and rugby,” said Campbell. “As this game flourishes in B.C., it plays a key role in helping our province meet its Great Goal of leading the way in North America in healthy living and physical fitness.”
Premier Campbell said the strong economy built over the last four years will allow a BC Liberal government to move forward with recently-announced initiatives like the new Multicultural Dialogues and the development of the new Asia-Pacific Museum of Trade and Culture. Both projects aim to celebrate, strengthen, and unleash the power of B.C.’s rich cultural diversity.
“Thanks to the leadership of the Indo-Canadian community, B.C. is now entering a period of exceptional promise,” said Campbell. “This election is British Columbia’s chance to build on that progress – and to make sure that B.C. keeps moving forward, not back, to an even better future.”
