Following kabaddi’s introduction as a sport at the1990 Asian Games in Beijing, the Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation wants kabaddi to become on Olympic sport.
Janardan Singh Gehlot, president of the Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation said Saturday, “we are holding the second edition of the World Cup next month and 15 countries have already confirmed participation. We now have to work for making kabaddi an Olympic sport.
“Kabaddi will be a demonstration game at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and we are also trying to get women’s kabaddi included in the 2010 Asian Games”, said Gehlot, who is also the president of All India Kabaddi Federation.
Kabaddi, one of the most popular games in Asia, is a team sport popular in the rural areas of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It’s a game that requires great skill, speed and strength, no sophisticated equipment is required, and needs only a small pitch size.
The game is played with two teams of 12 players (seven on the court and five in reserve) in which there are two halves of 20 minutes each.
The purpose of the game is to reach the highest score by touching or capturing the opposing team’s players while continuously chanting “kabaddi-kabaddi”. Points are scored by raiding the opponents’ court and touching as many defence players as possible without getting caught.
