To the dismay of thousands across the country, there will be no kabaddi at Ted Scobie Oval this year.
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For the second year running, the Griffith Sikh Games have been called off due to COVID-19.
The much-loved annual event attracts about 15,000 people, with teams and supporters from as far as Brisbane, Adelaide, and New Zealand traditionally making the trek out to Griffith to compete in soccer, tug of war, and kabaddi.
Gurdwara management committee member Narinder Singh Sandhu said the "disappointing" decision to call off the Shaheedi Tournament was made following discussions with council and Griffith's Sikh community.
"We had meetings and we decided we did not want to jeopardise the community of Griffith so we would postpone the games to 2022," Mr Sandhu said.
"There would have been a lot of restrictions and protocals we would have had to follow, and with people coming from all over Australia, it would have been very difficult to do so."
While NSW coronavirus restrictions have loosened this year, the current rules would have capped the number of people allowed into Ted Scobie Oval for the event.
There would have been a lot of restrictions and protocals we would have had to follow ... it would have been very difficult to do so.
- Narinder Singh Sandhu
Mr Sandhu said with the lack of events happening across the country meant the games could have easily attracted double the number of people if they had gone ahead.
"If you get 30,000 people coming, how do you know who has been where? It only takes one person," he said.
This year would have been the 25h time the games had been held in Griffith, adding some extra disappointment to the decision.
"It is a bit sad for us as a community," Mr Sandhu said.
Mr Sandhu said if the events can take place next year, they would "definitely" be bigger than usual.
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In 2019, it was estimated the Sikh Games added over $3 million to the local economy.
Griffith City Council donates $10,000 each year to the games and at Tuesday's council meeting, they will discuss where to re-allocate this funding.
The current recommendation is for this money to go to the Gurdwara Singh Sabha Society to aid in the construction of training fields at the Sikh temple.
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