JAIPUR: With 110 gold medals to their name, Maharashtra won the 24th Wako India National Kickboxing Championship at SMS Indoor Stadium here on Thursday. They also bagged 68 silver and 53 bronze. Manipur secured the second position with 41 gold, 25 silver, 31 bronze and Chhattisgarh with 27 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze finished at the third spot.
In the cadet category (5-15 age group) Maharashtra secured the top position with 63 gold, 44 silver, 40 bronze. In the junior category (15-18 age group) as well Maharashtra was ahead of the rest and won 28 gold, 16 silver and 9 bronze. In the senior category (above 18) Maharashtra impressed with 19 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze.
Players complain
Meanwhile, much to the despair of participants who have come for the championship from across the country, there is no proper drinking water arrangement and the condition of the toilets is abominable at the venue. "We have to go out to the canteen for water and since the toilets are extremely dirty, I am not even using it. We have been here since 9 am and I have not used the toilet since. At least we deserve these basic facilities," a female player said on condition of anonymity.
Another kickboxer participating in the seniors category echoed similar sentiments. "We have never encountered drinking water problems anywhere else. And yes, toilets are very dirty here. These are unnecessary distractions. Ideally we should be focusing completely on our game," he added.
Talking about the situation, Rajasthan Kickboxing Association general secretary Anil Kalyan said, "We have paid Rs2 lakh to the Rajasthan State Sports Council to organise the event and it is the government's responsibility to ensure the facilities are well in place. Yet we have placed campers outside to meet the drinking water needs."
