(Repeating with corrections in para 1, line 2 and para 4, line 2)

New Delhi, Aug 16 (UNI) In a bid to popularise the game in the region, India will sponsor two women kabbadi teams from Nepal rpt Nepal and Bangaldesh to take part in the SAF games to be held in Colombo from tomorrow.

The cost to sponsor these two teams is Rs nine lakh and which has already been paid, said Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) president Janardhan Singh Gehlot here today.

Talking to mediapersons, Gehlot said the women kabbadi competition was being held in the SAF games for the first time.

''It is mandatory to have at least four teams to conduct a competition and we decided to sponsers two teams -- Nepal rpt Nepal and Bangladesh -- for the Games,'' he said.

Mr Gehlot said India and Sri Lanka were the other teams in the women section while in the men's section, five teams -- holders India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh -- were taking part.

Gehlot said, ''We want to popularise the game in the continent and holding of women kabbadi in SAF games is a step towards including this in the 2010 Asia Games.'' ''Men kabbadi is already the part of the Asian games now we want to get women kabbadi to be the part of the Asiad,'' he said and asserted that China and Japan also spent huge amount of money and sponsored other countries to popularise Teakwando and Judo.

He made it clear that the money involved (Rs nine lakh) has been paid by the private sponsors and Government money was not spent.

''We arranged private paryies to sponsors these teams and government was not involved in it,'' he said.

Gehlot claimed that men kabbadi was gaining in popularity and now 17 countries play it and ''next year we will conduct the World championship in England.'' UNI HSB DH HT1615