Pro Panja League co founder Parvinn Dabass shares vision at WOW awards 2025

At the two-day event themed WOW Megaverse, the actor-turned-sports entrepreneur shared his journey of creating India's leading professional arm-wrestling league.

The founder of Pro Panja League also announced the Indian team's official participation for the prestigious World Police Games taking place in the USA.

Explaining about the shift from being an MMA and UFC podcaster to founding Pro Panja League, Dabass stated, "We started a website called MMAIndia.com and a podcast, the MMA India show. But when we wanted to start promoting sports, we wanted something for the masses at a low cost. We identified Panja because it's a sport with strong Indian roots and international appeal."

Stressing on building Panja beyond just a league and announcing the Indian Arm Wrestling squad's official participation for the World Police Games taking place in the USA this month, Dabass shares, "We are not just building a league; we are building a complete ecosystem. We do events throughout the year, international events, corporate events, college events. We recently got into the World police games as well; the team is going to the USA."

Talking about the league being a standout for its inclusive approach as compared to other indigenous sports, Parvinn shares, "We are one of the few leagues in the world, if not the only one, which has men, women and special athletes on the same platform from the very beginning."

Speaking about Pro Panja League's unique sports tourism strategy and distinctive venue choices, Dabass explained, "Panja is one of the few sports which can fit any destination. We did our first event in front of the Gateway of India, surrounded by water on three sides. We did a huge event in front of the Gwalior Fort on the banks of the river, on top of a casino boat in Goa. The league has endorsed and supported partnerships with tourism boards, including Uttarakhand and Mizoram, turning events into destination experiences that showcase India's diverse locations."

Addressing why the sport works well in India, Dabass noted, "We are a safe combat sport, the only one. I think Indian audiences connect more well with controlled combat sports. After starting just before the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the league has grown significantly. "After our first season, we became known as the biggest arm wrestling promotion in the world with the best production," Dabass added.

Pro Panja League is India's top professional arm wrestling tournament, founded by actor-director-producer Parvinn Dabass and actress Preeti Jhangiani. Preeti Jhangiani serves as President of the People's Arm Wrestling Federation of India and Vice President of the Asian Arm Wrestling Federation. The league's second season begins on August 5.