Kodava family hockey tournament pioneer no more
Bengaluru: Pandanda Kuttappa, who had conceived the Kodava family hockey tournament, passed away at his residence in Basaveshwara Nagara in Bengaluru on Thursday. He was 86.
The tournament, being played from 1997, has gone bigger with each passing year and over 300 teams participating in the event every year.
He is survived by two daughters and a son. He was serving in the State Bank of India and had keen interest in sports.
The Kodava family hockey tournament has attracted the attention of all sports lovers over the years and had even entered the Limca Book of Records.
Kuttappa used to oversee the tournament for the last 22 years and was taking part in the inaugural ceremony every year.
As per the wish of Kuttappa, the family hockey tournament was cancelled in 2019 due to the floods that had ravaged Kodagu. This year too, the tournament was cancelled following the coronavirus pandemic.
Through the tournament, he wanted to bring Kodava families together and wanted to harness the latent passion for hockey among the community members. Several players who played in the family hockey tournament have played in state and national level hockey tournaments. Over the years, the tournament had turned into a festival during April/ May.
Hockey is our national game. Respectful farewell to Pandanda Kuttappa. Strength and courage to all his loved ones.