Pro Panja League is India's biggest Arm Wrestling Tournament and the World's fastest-growing Arm Wrestling League. The arm wrestling fever has gripped the nation, with the inaugural season of the Pro Panja League set to kick off. The first season will take place at the IGI Stadium in the nation’s capital between July 28 and August 13. As many as 180 top arm-wrestlers from the country have been drafted among six teams - Kiraak Hyderabad, Mumbai Muscle, Rohtak Rowdies, Ludhiana Lions, Baroda Badshahs, and Kochi KD’s, for the inaugural edition.
Pro Panja League co-founder Parvin Dabas made a huge announcement regarding prize money for the winning team of the first season. "For the first edition, we have decided to give Rs 20 lakh to the winning team. We will be offering prize money of Rs five Lakh for the runners-up,” he revealed. Pro Panja League has already differentiated itself in a unique way in its approach, as it is offering equal money for players across all men’s, women’s, and specially-abled categories, as per their rankings. And now, Pro Panja League also announced additional prize money for the Player of the Tournament.
Indiantelevision.com in an email interaction spoke to Pro Panja League co-founder Parvin Dabas.
On arm wrestling being recognised sport abroad and the Pro Panja League's contribution to the sport in India
I believe that the Pro Panja League has significantly changed the sport in India, where it was previously unknown. There were amateurs competing in National and State Championships, but nobody outside of the neighbourhood even heard about them. However, there is a lot of awareness about it currently. It is gradually but surely winning the hearts of the viewers. There are currently more than 500 players competing in what once was a modest regional district event where 50 participants attended. We have noticed a difference over time, and I have no doubt that the number will continue to rise in the future. My objective is to make our athletes the best in the world, but I believe they still need additional training.
On the reason behind launching the Pro Panja League and the challenges faced
Since I was little, I have always enjoyed sports like basketball and taekwondo. My thinking was always inclined toward sports. I am aware that everyone enjoys watching sports, thus it is not a prerequisite for working in the sports marketing industry. Combat sports have always drawn me in and I identified and discovered that Panja is a sport that transcends boundaries. We call it "Laga Panja Kyuki Yeh Hai Bharat ka khel" since it is a sport unique to India and has an Indian-sounding name. Our players come from across the country so we wanted to enter a sport where we could make a difference. Speaking of difficulties, Covid-19 has been particularly difficult. We had just opened three weeks before, and we had already held two tournaments so that presented the biggest hurdle. However, that did not stop it. We kept expanding, and I believe Covid-19 allowed us, in a way, to slow down and comprehend how sports fans consume content. As a result, I believe the audience will enjoy the way we structured and entertained them.
On the initiatives to encourage women in this sport
Men, women, and athletes with special needs all share the same stage in our league, making it one of the very few, if not the only ones. In the league, both genders have equal possibilities. We have held projects and activities focused on women throughout the past few years. For instance, we held a competition at IIT-Mumbai where we awarded cash prizes to the top five male competitors who could defeat our female champion, Chetna Sharma. No one could put her down and she featured on almost every publication! Chetna even got a job promotion. All of our female athletes have motivational tales, and we bring that out across our social media platforms.
On advertisers and sponsors supporting the Pro Panja League
I believe that the Pro Panja League's appeal to advertisers and sponsors stems from the fact that it is a combat sport that doesn't involve violence. Like I always say, even if you get hurt, you won't bleed. I find it to be an aggressive bloodless fighting sport. Despite having all of those combat-related components, it is ultimately something that the whole family can watch. When everyone can easily comprehend it, it is incredibly enjoyable to watch. There are more rules that you pick up along the road, but you already know that one guy has to get his opponent's hand down.
