Kickboxing loses a gem; sportspersons underline need for rest

The fighter suffered a grievous injury during a fight at the Wako India Seniors and Masters National Kickboxing Championship in Chennai. He was immediately escorted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where he received treatment in the Intensive Care Unit but did not respond to the treatment.

This is the second tragedy of its kind in the past two months. The first being reported back in July this year. Nikhil Suresh, a 23-year-old fighter from Mysore, succumbed to head and facial injuries during a fight. The state-level K1 kickboxing championship’s organisers were charged with carelessness by the Bengaluru Police as the kickboxer died following a fatal blow from an opponent during the competition.

Occurrences like this have caused patrons and viewers of this sport to express concerns over the safety of the participants. Patriot got in touch with Rather Faisal, who hails from Kashmir, and has represented India in the Asian Hakuakai Championship, a similar contact sport.

“Kickboxing is one of the best games and it is organised well in the country”, said the national-level athlete. Downplaying the concerns about life-threatening injuries suffered by athletes participating in kickboxing and similar sports, he rather said that such incidents “could occur in any game.”

He added, “Each player who participates in kickboxing is aware that it is a physically demanding sport and that injuries are frequent. It was a dreadful incident that nobody wanted to witness or even pictured in their wildest imaginations.”

Jatin Mogha, a kickboxing instructor from Delhi, said, “There may be a number of factors involved in what could have happened to the boxer in Chennai. The most fundamental cause is not receiving enough rest and entering into the battle with weak muscles.”

Mogha, however, pointed out, “Because of the extensive training that the players undergo, they also need to relax their bodies appropriately. This is something that gets overlooked very often, but when the wear-and-tear muscles are hit during a battle, they can collapse…resulting in injuries and in rare occasions even death.”

“Also, the fact that, apart from professional tournaments, the majority of the tournaments do not have a proper healthcare team is something that should be looked into”, he also said.

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