Meet Team Shajipappan: The Indian-Maltese Team Kicking Ass In Tug Of War Tournaments Abroad
Meet Team Shajipappan Malta, a Maltese Tug of War team of Indian descent. A team that has represented the country internationally.
In 2019, the team competed in Rome, Italy, in a competition that saw countries across the continent go head-to-head, and Shajipappan emerged as runner-up.
They took it up a notch one year later, crowning themselves champions whilst hosting a European Tug Of War championship in Malta.
Some stellar results considering that the team was formed in 2017.
Shajipappan was born during celebrations of the traditional festival of Onam in Malta, from members of a large and close Indian community on the island.
“We will eternally be a part of Malta. That is why we named our team Shajipaappan Malta.”
It was from there that they continued to practice and grow together, even becoming part of various charities in Malta’s Indian community.
With the coming of COVID-19, the team’s world ‘turned upside down’. So much so that they had to abandon their participation in tournaments altogether.
That, however, was not enough to stop them from channeling their energy to charitable causes.
“We have done a lot of charity, fundraising programs for the hospitalised persons and children who suffered from severe medical conditions,” a spokesperson for the team has said.
Their efforts have even seen them launch a Tug of War premier league in Malta in 2020.
Presently, Team Shajipappan Malta is putting in the hours on the training ground, as they aim to compete in another international championship in Rome on 29th May.
With their eyes firmly fixed on claiming some more silverware in the name of our tiny island, this is one cause we can all get behind.
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