SURREY – The City of Surrey honoured an Indo-Canadian wrestling champion and youth mentor on Saturday by naming the new mat room at the Newton Recreation Centre after Randeep (Ravi) Sodhi, who passed away suddenly in March of this year.
“Ravi Sodhi was highly regarded within our community as a wrestler, coach and community leader,” says City of Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts. “He gave his heart and soul to the sport of wrestling in Surrey, so it seemed fitting to name the mat room after him, given his remarkable achievements and demonstrated leadership that inspired many of our youth. This is the first time in Canada that a South Asian sport leader has been honored in such a fashion.”
The mat room at the Newton Recreation Centre provides a variety of opportunities for the residents of Newton including wrestling, karate, tumbling, gymnastics and pre-school play. The Hargobind Wrestling Club holds regular practices in the mat room in preparation for national and international meets.
Sodhi was a national and international wrestling champion, medalling in eight National Championships, winning two National Championships, and winning gold at the 1997 Commonwealth Games. He helped develop the Hargobind Wrestling Club and trained over hundred local youth. His dedication to youth development through wrestling was apparent to all who worked with him.
Last Saturday’s event marked the official naming of the recreation facility’s mat room as the “Randeep Sodhi Mat Room” by a plaque permanently erected within the space.
