More tournaments, more medals: ‘The Great Khali’ on India’s 2036 Olympic dream

Gwalior: Former WWE wrestler and team ambassador of the Pro Panja League side Sher-e-Ludhiana, ‘The Great Khali’ believes India’s path to hosting the 2036 Olympics lies in the grassroots of the country and believes increasing the number of tournaments across sports will help develop a winning mentality for the team.

In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Khali spoke on India potentially hosting the 2036 Olympics and stated he believes his PPL team will go on to win season 2 of the tournament.

Asked how India can make a mark at the quadrennial tournament, Khali replied, “More competitions, more tournaments at the grassroots. The hard work and practice needs to begin at a young age. The high pool of talent we have will grow and prosper with more competition, increase their confidence, and make them stronger mentally. This will help India win more medals and create a winning mentality,” Khali told IANS.

Six teams including Mumbai Muscle, Jaipur Veers, Kiraak Hyderabad, Sher-e-Ludhiana,Rohtak Rowdies and MP Hathodas will vie for the coveted title as the league grows in scale, strength and inclusivity.

In the opening day’s main-card events, Mumbai Muscle defeated the MP Hathodhas while Kiraak Hyderabad edged past the Ludhiana based franchise.

Despite the opening day loss, Khali believes his team has the firepower to go on to win the second edition.

“This is just the start but I hope that my team wins. We will never lose hope, this is just the beginning, just keep on watching. You can see how strong they are, just by looking at their biceps, everyone is carrying an arsenal of 20 inches (biceps) plus. I believe Sher-e-Ludhiana will win,” he added.