Sikh Games create history as crowd hits 100,000 in Sydney – Report

Australian Sikh Games at Sydney have scripted history by drawing one of the largest crowds ever since the event started 31 years ago, reports SBS Punjabi

Close to 100,000 came to Bass Hill in Canterbury-Bankstown area for the weekend of sports and cultural showcase as the 31st Australian Sikh Games were held over the Easter weekend from 30 March to 1 April 2017.

With 3,000 athletes competing in 16 sports categories, the event was full of energy and promise for the years to come, reports SBS Punjabi.

Malaysian had taken part in hockey. Matador Hockey Club Malaysia won two gold medals and a silver at the Aussie games. The Malaysian team won golds in the Junior and Open categories, while their Masters team grabbed the silver medal — losing narrowly 3-2, according to an earlier report. See here.

Ranjit Singh Khera from the Sydney Games Organising committee said the sports carnival was a big success with massive crowds turning up at the venue.

“This is one of the biggest ever crowd seen in the history of the games. We estimate that around 100,000 people attended the three-day spectacle of sports and culture,” Ranjit told SBS Punjabi. “It wasn’t possible without the support of the local community who helped us script this big success story.

Australian National Sikh Sports and Cultural Council (ANSSACC) president Amandeep Singh Sidhu estimated about 130,000 food plates in the ‘Langar’ were consumed over three days.

“It’s a big number and we highly appreciate the tireless efforts done by our volunteers,” he told the Aussie radio station.

The event had the participation of 177 teams, making it the most highly participated in games till date. There’re 64 local teams, 97 travelled from interstate and 8 teams represented regional parts of Australia. Eight teams participated from overseas with the most number of players flying from New Zealand and Malaysia, the report said, quoting a joint media statement released by the local and national organizing committee.

Soccer had the most number of players with over 1,200 participants competing in different age groups and both genders.

[ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs in Southeast Asia and surrounding countries. We have a Facebook page, do give it a LIKE. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website: www.asiasamachar.com] 18530

RELATED STORY:

Matador Malaysia win 2 golds, 1 silver at Australia Sikh Games (Asia Samachar, 1 April 2018)