Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa!
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!
 
The 5th annual Yudh Gatka Tournament was a success. Despite sporadic showers and gloomy skies, there was a large turnout of competitors and spectators on August 25th at Toronto's very own Rexdale Spiritual Center.

This year Yudh, the largest gatka tournament outside of India, boasted participants hailing from Toronto, New Jersey, Calgary, Seattle, Vancouver, California, New York, Ohio and even India.  The event was refereed by Bhai Gian Singh (Khalsa School Surrey Teacher, Surrey, BC) and by Bhai Satnaam Singh (Gatka Instructor, Seattle, USA) and Bhai Parminder Singh (COSS, Toronto, Canada).

Although only a few walked away with trophies, all participants exhibited tremendous effort and played gatka with a great attitude.  Below is a list of the winners for all of the various competition categories.

Main Competition OPEN SINGH GROUP
1st Jarnail Singh, Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Gatka Akhara Toronto, CANADA $1100 cash prize
2nd Sukhjinder Singh, Khalsa School , Surrey , BC $500 cash prize
3rd Jaswant Singh  , California Gatka Dal, Selma, CA, USA $250 cash prize

Open Girls
1st Puneet Kaur, California, USA $600 cash prize
2nd Gurinder Kaur, Toronto, CANADA $300 cash prize
3rd Perminder Kaur $100

15-17 Age Group (Singhs)
1st Manroop Singh, Toronto, CANADA $600 cash prize
2nd Pavanpreet Singh, Surrey, BC $300 cash prize

12-14 Age Group (Singhs)
1st Jaspreet Singh, Surrey, BC $300 cash prize
2nd Gurkamal Singh, Surrey, BC $150 cash prize

8-11 Age Group (Singhs)
1st Gurjot Singh $250 cash prize
2nd Jasmeet Singh $100 cash prize

Open Kirpan Competition
1st Manroop Singh, Toronto, CANADA $600 cash prize
2nd Sukhjinder Singh, Surrey, BC $300 cash prize

Also, at this event, Bhai Harnarayan Singh, CBC News Reporter, was awarded a plaque in appreciation of his coverage in reporting issues regarding the Sikh community. Bhai Harnarayan Singh was the first journalist to cover the ‘Singh and Kaur as last names” issue in Canada. He covered the issue in a positive light and his effort in regards to this case is highly commendable.

All in all, the event was a success attributable to all who attended and contributed.  With the amount of support from all over Canada and North America, the Canadian Organization of Sikh Students (COSS) is pleased to announce that this competition is to become provincial.  As of next year, the event is scheduled to take place in Calgary, Alberta.

For more information about this event, feel free to contact Bhai Jasdev Singh, main organizer. He may be reached at 416-835-1909.