UFV Wrestling coaches Arjan Bhullar and Raj Virdi have spent the last year building a CIS team from the ground up at a university that has never before had a wrestling program. For most coaches that would be enough of a challenge, but Bhullar and Virdi are men of significant vision. Their goal is not only to find success at the highest level of international competition in Canada, but also to build positive connections with high calibre athletes and coaches in India, where wrestling is considered by many to be the national sport.
ABBOTSFORD – University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) Wrestling program, along with coaches Arjan Bhullar and Raj Virdi, hosted India’S national team coach P.R. Sondhi In Abbotsford this week.
The meeting was also attended by former Abbotsford mayor George Peary, UFV Athletic Director Chris Bertram, and President Mark Evered.
Satwinder Bains and UFV President Evered will lhold a follow up meeting at UFV’s affiliated University in Chandigarh in a few weeks when Premier Christie Clarks goes on another India trade mission.
“I’m excited about our initial meeting,” said coach Sondhi. “I think this would be a great opportunity for future youth that wish to pursue academics at the UFV. We will need a lot of support from the community to make this a reality, but I can’t imagine that being a problem; our community has made our youth and sport a priority, here is a group of kids that has done things the right way. Let’s support them.”
UFV Wrestling coaches Bhullar and Virdi have spent the last year building a CIS team from the ground up at a university that has never before had a wrestling program. For most coaches that would be enough of a challenge, but Bhullar and Virdi are men of significant vision. Their goal is not only to find success at the highest level of international competition in Canada, but also to build positive connections with high calibre athletes and coaches in India, where wrestling is considered by many to be the national sport.
Bhullar, Virdi, and Sondhi are searching for ways to create better ties between the Indo-Canadian wrestling community in the Fraser Valley, and the wrestling community in the Punjab and the rest of India. It has long been a dream of the UFV coaches to lead a team of young Indo-Canadian wrestlers back to India for a series of exhibition matches, and possibly host a group of elite Indian wrestlers in Abbotsford.
“Raj and I are excited to welcome Coach Sondhi onto the campus,” said Bhullar. “This is a great opportunity for our institution to build upon the connections already created by Satwinder Bains and the CICS, using the sport of wrestling. Coach Sondhi’s resumé speaks for itself. He is a proven winner at every level.”
Bhullar and Virdi are also looking forward to showing off the strength of the UFV team roster, which is expected to be a strong competitor in the Canada West this season.
