SEVERAL thousand people turned out to cheer on their team at the annual kabbadi tournament.

Spectators also enjoyed wrestling matches at Witton Park, Blackburn.

Kabbadi, the national sport of Pakistan, is a game similar to tag with the 12 team members each taking it turns to touch one player of the opposing side and then run back to the base line.

Blackburn played a group from Birmingham on the day and teams from Bradford, Nelson, Rotherham and Keighley also took part.

The Mayor of Blackburn Coun Mary Leaver and councillors Salas Kiani and Mohammed Khaliq supported the event.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.