Abbotsford Sports Hall of Fame to welcome Punjabi pioneer in wrestling
CHILLIWACK — An Abbotsford resident who helped establish the Miri-Piri Wrestling Club and serves as its president will be inducted into the Abbotsford Sports Hall of Fame.
According to a news release dated Tuesday, April 23, the wrestling club announced that Kulvinder Singh Kooner will be enshrined into the Abbotsford Sports Hall of Fame for his pioneering contribution to wrestling in Abbotsford where a sizable South Asian population exists.
Miri-Piri Wrestling Club was established on Kooner’s farm in 1996. The club originated in a small shed building with a small group of wrestlers estimated at a handful. Through the combined synergies of the executive committee, friends, community members, and wrestling parents, the club materialized and expanded with more mat space and many more athletes to boot.
“We have had an incredible number of provincial, national and international champions, medalists & Team Canada athletes come through Miri Piri Wrestling Club,” the club said in a statement.