(Samajweekly) The presence of thousands of people at the NZ Sikh Games over the weekend (November 26–27) was a testimony to the event’s success
Due to the Covid restrictions in place last year, the games had to be cancelled, which meant that the Sikh community missed out on one of the most significant events on their calendar.
And to make up for it, the organisers combined the third (2021) and fourth-year events to host mega games.
NZ Sikh Games began in 2019 as a massive platform for sportsmen and women to compete in different sporting games under one banner.
More than 20,000 people attended the recently concluded NZ Sikh Games over the two days at all the different venues, including the main venue, Bruce Pulman Park in Takanini.
The athletes came from all across NZ, such as Waikato region, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty region, Napier, Wellington, and Christchurch and abroad to compete in sports such as cricket, soccer, netball, volleyball, hockey, badminton, shooting, gold, kho kho, gatka, athletics, table tennis, dastar, wrestling and kabbadi competitions.
While the hockey events happened at ACG Strathallan Hockey Stadium, the tennis competition took place at Manukau Tennis Centre Badminton at Papakura Badminton Centre.
The games were officially opened on Saturday, November 26, in the presence of many dignitaries such as National Party leader Christopher Luxon, National Party MP Judith Collins, Hon Consul of India in Auckland Bhav Dhillion, Labour Party MP Dr Anae Neru Leavasa and Councillor Daniel Newman among others. The inaugural ceremony also saw dignitaries observing a moment of silence for Janak Patel, who lost his life in the Sandringham aggravated robbery.
Dhillon said, “It is a great celebration of sport and culture! New Zealand is a much richer place — socially, culturally, and economically — for all the contributions from migrant families. I enjoyed spending time with many of those families and celebrating such a great sporting occasion this afternoon.”
Another known community leader Navtej Randhawa, who has been closely associated with the games, said, “The NZ Sikh Games were a grand affair promoting our community’s sporting spirit and giving an opportunity to our next generation to connect with our heritage. Such initiatives are crucial and should be encouraged to preserve our rich culture in NZ.”
Despite poor weather on Sunday, the attendance of the community to witness the event surpassed the organisers’ expectations.
Daljeet Singh Sidhu, the President of the NZ Sikh Games’ Organising Committee, said, “It is inspiring to see the growth of the NZ Sikh Games every year. New teams are standing up and being prepared and trained to participate in the New Zealand Sikh Games, which is very motivating. We focus to encourage young kids to participate in games and we have seen the number growing every year.”
He added, “The big turnout, despite the rain for both the sports and cultural event on Sunday, is a sign the community really does care about Sikh games and waits for the event to take place every year. It was humbling to see people coming out despite unfavourable weather and supporting our event.”
Not just sports
Massive langar service was also provided at the Pulman Park venue, which included food, beverages, soft drinks, sweets, and snacks for all visitors and participants at the event for two days.
Apart from sports, the two-day event also saw various groups showcasing impressive cultural dance and live music performances. Another event highlight was a kids’ zone that featured many fun activities, including bouncy castles and a toy train.
Sidhu reveals they plan to have a bigger NZ Sikh Games next year. He said, “We want our NZ Sikh Games to be more professional, organised and detail-oriented. We will do some meetings to get feedback from the participants and analyse to make improvements. We hope to hold the next event better and at an even bigger scale.”
